Return to Gravity Falls
by Aryck-The-One
Summary: A new summer begins, and 13-year old Dipper and Mabel Pines return to the Mystery Shack after suffering a terrible tragedy. With the help of their friends and family, they may overcome their grief, and move on to uncover new mysteries and find new adventures in Gravity Falls.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note : This is quite different from my last Gravity Falls fan-fiction, which I wrote right after the finale to deal with the heartbreak of seeing Dipper and Mabel leave Gravity Falls. Return to Gravity Falls is based on my idea for a spin-off series; what might happen next summer, and what might cause Dipper and Mabel to stay in Gravity Falls permanently. The beginning of this story will be rather sad... but fear not, it'll get better. Unlike my last fic, this one will be multi-chaptered. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

It'd been 5 days since the accident; the memory was to be burned into the minds of 13-year old Dipper and Mabel Pines for the rest of their lives. The school here was drawing to a close, and they were preparing for their middle-school graduation ceremony.

It'd been a harrowing year for the young brother and sister, their last year before high school. Dipper and Mabel had few friends in their hometown of Piedmont, California, for they'd always been considered… eccentric. Between Dipper's love of mystery and science-fiction and his sister's bubbly personality and colorful hand-knitted attire, the rest of the school could easily label them has freaks and outcasts. Although, there was one place where they were not only accepted for their eccentricity, but welcomed…

More than anything, they looked forward to their return to that place. But first, they had to go through graduation; Dipper for one couldn't understand why they were made to wear the usual getup with the cap and gown, or what they were receiving diplomas for. They still had 5 more years of school to go before their _real_ graduation, and neither Dipper nor his sister felt as though they'd accomplished much in the past 7 years of attending public school.

Their parents told them to just roll with it. Their mother and father- Filbrick and Darlene Pines- were eager to see their children graduate and move on to high school. Dipper remembered his mother, camera at the ready, eager to capture every moment as she watched her babies take their next step on the path to adulthood.

She would never get the chance.

Dipper and Mabel stood in line with the rest of their classmates, waiting for their names to be called so they could receive their diplomas. The ceremony began, and Mabel was the first to sense that something was wrong; she scanned the auditorium… there was no sign of her mom or her dad in the rows of seats.

She tugged on Dipper's sleeve and whispered to him; "Where are they?" When Dipper raised a quizzical eyebrow, she mouthed the words "mom and dad". Dipper looked around, and saw no sign of them. He looked back to his sister, and shrugged.

Then, before either of their names could be called, a teacher came up onto the stage, scooting around the back of the row of students. The twins didn't notice her until she tapped Dipper on the shoulder, and asked him to come with her, beckoning Mabel as well. Confused, they stepped out of line and followed her out the back of the auditorium.

They were taken to the Principal's office, where they were told to take a seat. Shortly after, Principal Hartman walked in- a tall, imposing man, balding with a large grey mustache, and known for being very strict. The Pines twins didn't like him; he was one of the staff who often told them to "just act normal" when they complained about the bullying they endured each day.

He looked rather grim when he walked in, taking a seat at his desk, clasping his hands together, and hanging his head.

"I'm not sure how to best tell you this, but, well… it's about your parents," he began.

"Mom and dad?" Mabel replied. "What about them? Where are they?"

The old man took a deep breath before he spoke. "Well… I'm afraid there's been an accident."

Everything that came after was a blur. Something about a car crash. Mabel breaking down, sobbing. Dipper staring at the man across the desk in disbelief, who for once appeared to have a tiny sliver of sympathy in his cold steel-grey eyes.

"I'm sorry… I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, but… your parents- they're gone."

And that was that.

Dipper and Mabel never received their diplomas. They did away with the blue caps and gowns, and were driven down to the hospital. Their mother and father were still on life support when they arrived- lying in bed, heavily bandaged, kept breathing only by the machines.

Mabel walked up to their mom's bedside, and took her hand in hers, and she felt how cold it was. Tears ran down her cheeks as she begged her mother to wake up, to no avail. They were given only a few minutes to say goodbye… and then Dipper had to put an arm around his crying sister, guiding her away from the bedside before the plug was finally pulled.

After that, they were escorted home; the brother and sister were allowed some time to pack their personal belongings before they were to be taken to child services.

Dipper grabbed all his books, video games and board games that he often played with his sister, and an old shoebox labeled "Top Secret" full of personal mementoes from the previous summer. Mabel packed all of her hand-knitted sweaters and stuffed animals, the grappling hook Grunkle Stan had give her last summer, along with her scrapbook- which she stared at intently for a moment before stuffing it in her bag. Lastly, she fetched her pet pig Waddles, who was tied up out back. Dipper knew what his sister was thinking- there was only one place left for them to go.

Unfortunately, child services didn't see it that way. When the bureaucratic agent asked what other relatives they had, they gave him the first name that came to mind.

"Our Grun- err, our Great Uncle, Stanley Pines. He has a house in the woods; a town called Gravity Falls, in Oregon," Dipper told the man. The agent checked his computer, all the while muttering under his breath; "Let's see… Stanley Pines… Stanley Pines… now, where the heck are you…"

"Oh!" He said. "Here we are, let's see… Stanley Pines, Age 70, 618 Gopher Road, Gravity Falls, Oregon- is that right?" The officer asked.

"Yeah, that's him!" Mabel affirmed; her eyes were still red and puffy, it being that they'd only left the hospital a few hours ago- but for the first time since they'd received the terrible news, she sounded hopeful.

"I don't know, little lady…" said the child services officer. "Your Great-Uncle has an extensive criminal history." He scrolled down with his mouse as he said this, scanning Grunkle Stan's long record. "Half of this, I've never even… wait; what on earth is 'Llamacide'? And… 'burglbezzelment, I don't think I've…"

"Does any of that even matter?" Dipper asserted. "He's the only family we have left!"

"Your only family?" The officer repeated. "What about this- Sherman Pines; he's your grandfather, isn't he-"

 _"No!"_ The twins shouted simultaneously. Dipper and Mabel hated their Grandpa Shermy… and he hated them. He hated all children, really, but he especially disliked Dipper and Mabel for the same reason as everyone else; they weren't "normal" by his definition. His dislike of them had only intensified since Dipper and Mabel's parents had allowed them to spend the previous summer, along with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in Gravity Falls with his "dirty, no-good swindler of a brother".

"Well, I'm afraid I can't send you to your uncle- not with his background," the officer said unsympathetically. Dipper and Mabel exchanged horrified glances- Mabel was beginning to tear up again. If they were sent to live with Shermy, not only would the rest of their teen years be heck on earth, but they'd never see Grunkle Stan or Gravity Falls again.

"Wait a minute," Dipper said, an idea suddenly popping into his head. "What about our other Great Uncle; Stanford Pines?"

* * *

Dipper and Mabel had dodged a bullet that day. In hindsight, they probably should never have mentioned Stan; as much as they loved him, it should've been obvious that he would never be allowed to become their legal guardian.

The government really didn't give him enough credit, given all he'd done for Dipper and Mabel… but then, they didn't know what transpired in Gravity Falls the previous summer.

The days following the deaths of their parents were a blur. Great Uncle Ford couldn't come to get them himself, but he paid for a bus to take them back to Gravity Falls. They spent most of the bus ride flipping through their old family photo album and Mabel's scrapbook, not talking. Neither of them wanted to think about what had just transpired. Every time they came close to the topic, a painful knot formed in Dipper's chest as he tried to hold back tears, while Mabel would break down sobbing.

By afternoon the next day, the bus had pulled up in front of their Great Uncle's house- the Mystery Shack. It looked just as it had the last time they'd seen it, barely holding itself together, with the "S" from the Mystery Shack sign lying halfway down the roof so the sign read "Mystery Hack".

Stan was waiting for them on the front lawn, dressed in his usual "Mr. Mystery" getup.

"Grunkle Stan!" The twins greeted enthusiastically once off the bus, both running forward to throw themselves into their Grunkle's arms. He embraced the two of them as the two teenagers flung their arms around his neck.

"It's good to see you kids," Stan said to them. "I heard what happened… I'm sorry about your folks."

At the mention of their parents, Dipper felt his chest tighten again and Mabel choked out a sob.

"Don't worry; everything's gonna be fine," Stan consoled. "Come on inside; I had Soos set up your old bedroom in the attic."

When Dipper and Mabel stepped in the front door, they were greeted by a chorus of "Welcome Home!"; assembled there in the hall were most of their friends and family; their best friend Soos, his girlfriend Melody, Mabel's girlfriends Candy and Grenda, and their new guardian- Stan's brother Ford.

Mabel dropped her bags and rushed over to Candy and Grenda almost immediately, enveloping her friends in a fierce hug. Dipper bumped his fist with Soos, who greeted him with a customary "Welcome back, dude."

But someone was missing. Dipper looked around, and when he saw no sign of her, he asked Grunkle Stan; "Where's Wendy? Is she here?"

When Mabel heard this, she pulled away from Candy and Grenda, suddenly concerned for her brother… were they about to receive more bad news?

"Actually, Manly Dan took his kids and moved upstate," Soos answered. "I think they had a run-in with some eyeball bats in the woods at around Christmas… after that, he didn't think it was safe in Gravity Falls anymore."

"So- wait, Wendy's… gone? Dipper asked. The tears he'd been trying to hold back for the past several days were threatening to spill over as he took in this latest news. Broken-hearted, he collapsed against the wall, bent his head, and began to cry silently.

"Oh, Dipper…" Mabel said to her brother, moving over to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
"Hey, guys?" Said a familiar voice. "What's going on? Are they here yet-"

Dipper looked up in surprise; it was her… Wendy. She was wearing only her pajamas, and her hair was damp and smelled of shampoo, like she'd just gotten out of the shower. She took one look around the room before her eyes settled on Dipper.

"Wendy…" breathed Dipper. He stood up from his spot on the floor and ran into her arms; she bent down to catch him, cradling his head against her shoulder.

"Oh dude, that's right!" Said Soos, slapping himself on the forehead. "I forgot Wendy moved into the Mystery Shack after her dad left… I've been having problems with short-term memory lately…"

Dipper paid him no attention, wiping away his tears before burying his face in Wendy's damp red hair.

"I missed you," he whispered to her. Wendy smiled, running her hand under his cap and through her best friend's tousled brown hair.

I missed you, too," Wendy replied. "I see you're still wearing my hat."

"He hasn't taken it off in six months," Mabel chimed in. Dipper blushed in embarrassment.

"Are you guys okay?" Wendy asked. "Stan told me what happened…"

Once again, Dipper and Mabel said nothing. Stan knelt down beside Mabel and laid a comforting arm on her shoulder, while Dipper tightened his arms around his crush, who responded in kind, patting him on the back in sympathy.

"Everything's going to be okay," Stanley repeated. "Now, why don't you kids head upstairs and unpack?"

"Wendy and I planned throwing you guys a 'welcome home' party," said Melody. "We ordered a cake for dessert, and we can get started on cooking dinner while you guys settle in… okay?"

"Yeah, thank goodness we finally have someone around here who can cook!" Stan laughed, trying to inject some humor into the situation… but his niece and nephew still looked somber as they carried their bags upstairs, followed closely by Waddles.

"Poor dudes," said Soos. "I thought they'd be happier once they got back."

"They just lost their parents, Soos," Wendy reminded him. "I know what that feels like… I went through the same thing when my mom died."

"They'll be fine," said Stan dismissively. "Just give 'em some time."

The welcome home party Wendy and Melody planned for the twins ended up being a quiet affair. Dipper and Mabel didn't eat much, despite the dinner table being overflowing with all their favorite things- a mouth-watering seasoned chicken, mashed potatoes, apple butter, fluffy cheddar biscuits, and several bottles of Pitt Cola- and for dessert, strawberry ice cream and a large chocolate cake with icing that spelled out "Welcome Home, Dipper & Mabel" with candy decorations in the shape of a pine-tree and shooting star.

Dipper sat as close as possible to Wendy, who kept a comforting arm around his shoulder while urging him to eat something. Soos and Melody tried several times to cheer up Mabel, Soos by trying to be his usual goofy, loveable self, Melody by informing Mabel that she and Soos were engaged. Mabel's only reply was quiet "congratulations". The twins end up leaving the table having barely touched anything, each leaving behind a quarter-finished slice of "Welcome Home!" cake and insisting they weren't hungry.

It wasn't that Dipper and Mabel weren't happy to see Grunkle Stan, and Ford, and all their friends… but the pain of having lost their parents was still fresh, weighing down on their hearts and minds, crushing any happiness they would've felt upon returning to Gravity Falls. They'd been looking forward to coming back all year, crossing off the days on their calendar until the next summer… but now that they were here, the feeling was bittersweet.

They went to bed that in their attic bedroom without another word. Mabel stopped to put up photos of herself, her brother, and her parents on the wall before putting out the old gas lamp.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

* * *

 _"Ladies and gentlemen!"_ Soos cried out to a crowd of the enthusiastic tourists. They were out in the woods, just beyond the front lawn of the Mystery Shack, as Soos guided them towards the Shack's most popular attraction.

"Since you have arrived in Gravity Falls, you may have heard many strange and frightful tales," Soos began, his audience hanging on his every word. "Tales of an evil triangular demon who once haunted people's dreams, and sought to bring about the end of the world by making their nightmares into reality!"

"What if I were to tell you dudes… that those aren't just stories?" Soos asked his enthralled entourage. "There is more truth to that myth that you might believe- such that the mayor has banned all in Gravity Falls of speaking of it!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, behold- the eternal Nightmare Demon! _Bill Cipher!"_ Soos exclaimed.

Bill's physical form, now little more than a lump of stone, was exactly where it'd come to rest after the end of Weirdmageddon, half-buried in the soil of the forest floor, his hand outstretched from the last deal he'd ever made. It could easily pass for a statue, a hoax- but as always, the tourists loved it, snapping pictures of Bill's immobile form with disposable cameras.

"How was this unholy abomination defeated?" Asked one elderly man, who wore a star of David around his neck.

"Oh, it was actually my old boss and his niece and nephew who beat him!" Soos told the man proudly. "They're like… the heroes of everyone in Gravity Falls."

"I heard that Stan Pines tricked the demon into his mind so that he could be destroyed with a memory-ray!" Said another man.

"It's all true, dawg," Soos insisted. "Step up, and you can have your picture taken with the villain himself for a dollar! No, wait- ten dollars! A hundred dollars!"

The tourists immediately whipped out wads of cash, disregarding Soos' ridiculous pricing for a chance to have their picture taken with an actual demon. Watching all this unfold from the porch of the Mystery Shack was Stan, with Ford beside him on the couch.

"You know," Stan began. "Truth be told, I wasn't sure Soos could handle this job. But now I see I underestimated him big time- he's a gosh-darn natural!"

"I'll never understand how you've managed to sell all this phony junk for over 30 years," Ford replied.

"Eh… people in this country will buy anything," Stan retorted. "Speaking of which; when can we get that dinosaur exhibit up and running?"

"Just as soon as I make sure it's all safe," Ford answered. "I recently watched a movie about a dinosaur theme park from the 80s; given what I've seen, we should take as many precautions as we possibly can."

"You should ask the kids to help you with that," Stan suggested. "Those two knuckleheads are the ones who found those lizards in the first place!"

Ford's expression turned somber. "I've tried, but… they haven't come out of their room since they got here," Ford told his brother.

It was true; Dipper and Mabel had been in Gravity Falls for 3 days. Three days, and they'd barely said a word since the first night, preferring to stay cooped up in their room all day. Occasionally, one of them would catch the twins sitting under the trees outside alone, flipping through an old photo album and talking amongst themselves.

Stan was starting to feel a little distraught over the whole thing; the twinkle was gone from his niece's eyes, and even Dipper wasn't going out looking for adventure anymore. The only person he talked to besides Mabel was Wendy, and the red-haired teen said that even she was having trouble getting through to him.

"You know, I tried to show Dipper my new journal," said Ford; he held up a book similar to the ones he'd kept before, only the gold six-fingered handprint on the front bore a number "4", and the book itself was bigger than the others.

"I told him I'd compiled all my old research, and recorded our findings in the Arctic Ocean- I wanted to show him what we found… but, he said he wasn't interested," Ford elaborated.

"That doesn't sound like Dipper at all," Stan observed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "You know, Mabel hasn't knitted any new sweaters since she got here? It used to be she made a new one every day."

"Well, they've suffered a terrible loss," Ford acknowledged.

Stan took a long drought from his can of Pitt Cola. "So… how did you deal with it, when mom and dad died?" Stanley asked his brother.

"I didn't," Ford replied. "Dad was convinced I was wasting my talent when I decided to come out to Gravity Falls… and when he and mom passed, I was already up my neck in my, uh… problems, with Bill."

"So, I guess you never went to their funeral?" Ford asked.

"Are you kidding me!?" Stan replied angrily. "After dad kicked me out of the house? After he called me a loser? I didn't want to see that old codger again!"

As Stan and Ford went on to abuse their late father, Dipper and Mabel managed to slip quietly out of the Mystery Shack through the gift shop. Wendy was running the counter again while Melody had taken Soos' old job of handyman… or rather, handywoman. As they neared the door, Wendy stopped them, and asked where they were going.

"We're just going for a walk," Dipper told her. "We'll be back later."

"Are you guys okay?" Wendy asked, feeling concerned for her friends. "You guys haven't been yourselves since you got here."

"We just need to be alone, Wendy," Mabel said to her. Before Wendy could inquire further, Mabel and her brother stepped out the door- Wendy took notice of Mabel carrying what looked like an old photo album under her arm.

It tore Wendy up inside, seeing her best friends like this. She knew what they were going through all to well- her mother's death when she was 8 had shaken her to the core, but she'd managed to get through it with support from her dad. Dipper and Mabel still had people that cared about them, but those people couldn't do anything for them when the twins were constantly pushing them away.

What began as a warm, sunny day for the town of Gravity Falls seemed to change the instant Dipper and Mabel stepped outside- the sun disappeared as clouds rolled in, casting a shadow over the woods, turning the skies a bleak grey color. It was almost as if the weather outside was changing to reflect how they felt on the inside.

It was good they dressed warmly, as the temperature dropped with the sudden change in the climate- Dipper had taken to wearing a blue-and-white T-shirt with a pine-tree on the front, similar to his old hat. Over that, he wore a burgundy heavy coat, khaki cargo pants, and of course Wendy's logging cap, which she'd given him last summer. Mabel simply wore black tights and sneakers in addition to her usual blue-violet skirt and shooting star sweater.

After walking through the woods a short while, they found a quiet place a good distance from the Mystery Shack to sit down. From there, they picked out the most comfortable-looking tree they could find, and sat down in the soft dirt between the roots.

"Dad always wanted to take us camping in the woods, remember?" Mabel said to her brother. "Mom never wanted to go, though… she was never the outdoorsy-type."

Dipper smiled weakly at the memory; there was one time, when they were 10, that Filbrick Pines had almost convinced their mom to go on a camping trip over Spring Break. As expected, mom went completely nuts, stocking up on all the bug repellent she could get her hands on, a field first-aid kit, a woodland survival guide, GPS tracker, and for some reason a stun gun. Feeling that they could no longer enjoy a trip to the great outdoors with his wife in hysterics, dad decided it would be more fun for everyone if they just camped out in the backyard.

Mabel was flipping through the old picture album, becoming lost in their family memories. Before Gravity Falls, Dipper and Mabel's best times had been when they were at home with just their parents. Halloween and Christmas were usually their favorite times of the year; though not Thanksgiving, since mom and dad always invited Shermy and mom's brother and sister-in-law, who shared the grandfather's opinion that Dipper and Mabel were "not normal". Coincidentally, those two had died in a car accident as well just a few years ago- mom's brother had always had a reputation for being a careless driver.

 _Served him right,_ Dipper thought bitterly. Mom had argued with her brother right before the accident; on Thanksgiving Day, in 4th grade. Their uncle had decided to make the twin's abnormality a topic of conversation over dinner, and mom took offense at some of his "suggestions"… like putting them in therapy.

Mabel had even save a picture of the incident… of mom punching her brother in the jaw. It was right after that he'd stormed out the door in anger, driven off with his wife, and gotten both of them killed.

As if she could sense what he was thinking, Mabel leaned over to show him the album; and there it was, a picture of their mom caught mid-swing just as her fist made contact with her stuck-up brothers face. The look in his eyes as their mother knocked one of his teeth out- it was just too priceless; both siblings burst out laughing at the sight.

"Those were the good old days," said Dipper, taking the album from his sister and flipping through it himself. Looking at the pictures, Dipper and Mabel recalled their best memories with their parents- having a snowball fight on their annual Christmas vacation, the one time they glued a wig to Grandpa Shermy's head while he was sleeping (it'd been their dad's idea), graduating elementary school, trips to the playground when they were little… Dipper couldn't help but shed a tear as he looked at a picture of his mother pushing him on the swing when he was 6-years old, knowing that he would never see her again.

"You know…" Mabel began in a hoarse voice. "… all this time, I've been looking forward to coming back to Gravity Falls? But now… I'm not sure if I would've wanted to come, if it meant mom and dad could still be here."

"It's not like it would've made much of a difference," said Dipper in an attempt to console her. But he knew what she was feeling; before the end of the school year, he and his sister had begged their parents to let them spend the whole summer in Gravity Falls again. Mom and dad were against it; they wanted to spend the summer together this time, as a family. Dad was going about his plans for an epic cross-country road trip… but it was not to be, either way. Dipper and Mabel wanted to go back to Gravity Falls; Dipper was especially excited to see Wendy again.

In the end, the parents agreed that they would let their children spend another summer in Gravity Falls, while they went on a vacation by themselves. Dad seemed a bit let-down by this turn of events; when asked about his aborted plans for the road trip of a lifetime, he'd simply replied "maybe next summer". But now there would be no "next summer"… not for him or their mother. Thus, a bit of guilt stacked with grief, sorrow, and depression on the teetering pile of emotions the twins were sitting on. Maybe it was karma, repayment for their selfishness that lost their mother and father... the thought only made them feel worse.

It was becoming too much for them to bear. Dipper had an idea on how they could make things better, but he wasn't sure if it was the best one.

"Hey… Mabel?"

"What?"

"Do we really want to spend the rest of our summer like this?" He asked. "Sitting alone in the woods, feeling sorry for ourselves?"

"No, but…" Mabel began, a solitary tear falling down her cheek. "…I just want mom and dad back. I wished they could've come with us. Then we could spend the summer together; us, mom and dad, Grunkle Stan, and our friends. We could've been like one big family."

"Well, we can't do that anymore, Mabel," Dipper asserted. "They're gone, and… no amount of wishing is going to bring them back."

It was then that Mabel noticed Dipper fishing around in his backpack, from which he pulled out a familiar object; one of McGucket's memory guns. A tool created by the inventor so that one may forget their bad memories, move on with their lives as though they'd never happened. She immediately knew what Dipper was about to suggest.

"No," Mabel said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Dipper asked. "You wouldn't have to feel any more pain. It would all seem like just a bad dream-"

 _"I don't want to forget!"_ Mabel insisted, holding up their family album. "I can't, I… I don't want to forget them."

"You're sure?" Dipper asked again. Mabel nodded, to which responded in kind, tossing the memory gun back in his backpack. It was a stupid idea, anyway; the only way it could work was if they erased all their memories of their parents, which included their entire childhood. That was something neither of them wanted to lose. Dipper wasn't sure why he'd suggested it in the first place.

There was a rumbling in the distance, and the twins felt a few small rain-drops fall on their heads; a sign of an impending thunderstorm. They decided to head back to the Mystery Shack before they got caught out in the rain. Dipper stood up from his spot on the ground first, dusting off some of the dirt and pine needles that settled on his clothes before doing the same for Mabel.

The two walked back home, traversing a small creek on the way back. Unbeknownst to Dipper, Mabel had stowed their family album in his open backpack. When they tried crossing the creek by using a log as an improvised bridge, Dipper slipped on the wet log, and Mabel caught him. Once she was sure he was alright, the continued on- neither of them noticed the family album fall from Dipper's open pack and into the creek.

The album, along with all the compiled memories of Dipper and Mabel's parents and their childhood, was whisked away downstream, never to be seen again.

* * *

 **Author's Note : And there's the first chapter. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Welcome Home

**Author's Notes : First of all, thank you for all the positive feedback on the first chapter. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it, and I hope you'll stick around, because I'm just getting started. I apologize if this chapter feels a bit rushed; let me know if you think it comes up lacking compare to the previous one. I could use some constructive feedback. I've got a ton of ideas for the future of this story, and I want to make it the best I can.**

* * *

The Mystery Shack awoke to silver-grey skies the next day. The storm was over, though it still drizzled outside, and there was a bit of a chill in the air when the wind picked up.

Inside, all was not well. With his niece and nephew still trying to get over the loss of their parents, Stanley Pines came to find the shack abnormally quiet with them around, what with their insistence on being left alone and spending most of their time locked in the attic. That morning though, he found Mabel running back and forth throughout the house with Dipper not far behind. At first, he wondered if they might be back to their old selves- then he saw the panicked expressions on their faces, and knew something was wrong.

"Where is it, _where is it!?"_ Mabel repeated as she darted from one room to the next. The twins checked under furniture, ripped open drawers and cabinets in a frenzy, clearly looking for something important- enough to send them into hysterics.

"You had it when we got back yesterday, didn't you?" Dipper asked his sister. "Think; where's the last place you left it!?"

"I can't remember what I- oh no."

"What?" Dipper pressed her. "Did you leave it out in the woods?"

"No, I- I remember I put in your backpack," Mabel replied.

"Well, it's not there- I already looked!" Dipper replied. "It must've fallen out when we-"

 _"Hey, knuckleheads!"_ Stan interrupted. "Is anyone going to explain to me what's going on here?"

"Grunkle Stan, we lost mom and dad's photo album!" Mabel cried hysterically.

"Oh…" Stan replied, finally understanding the seriousness of this situation. "Okay, just- calm down. Where did you leave it last?"

"We brought it out into the woods with us yesterday, and then I put it in Dipper's backpack on the way back, and then he slipped, and- it must've fallen out!"

"What's going on down here?" Wendy asked as she came down the stairs. She was still in her pajamas and her hair was mess, giving the impression that she'd only just been awoken by the twin's rampage.

"The kid's lost their parent's family album," Stan explained. "They think it might be somewhere out in the woods."

When Stan mentioned this, Wendy was hit by a flashback of Dipper and Mabel heading out into the woods the previous day with Mabel carrying a large, black book under her arm- and then later coming back without it. If that was their family photo album, it explained why the twins were in such a panic at it's disappearance.

"Can you help us find it?" Dipper asked Wendy, walking up to her in his pajamas with a look in his eyes that tore her heart in two. Wendy knelt down and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders as he seemed on the verge of breaking. "It's all we have left of our parents," he choked out.

"Sure dude…" Wendy agreed. "Give me a second to get dressed, then we'll go out and look for it; okay?"

Wendy rushed back upstairs and donned her usual green plaid shirt, jeans, and muddy logging boots, along with a fleece-lined bomber jacket and Dipper's old pine-tree hat. By the time she got back downstairs, Dipper and Mabel were dressed as well, and so they set out the door together.

They combed the woods for hours in search of the missing album. Eventually, Mabel managed to locate the creek they'd crossed yesterday, and the log they used as bridge- once there, she waded through the freezing water, her eyes scanning the creek bed for her parent's photo album, with no luck. While she ventured further down the creek, Dipper retraced his steps from the previous day with Wendy at his side, looking for some sign of the book. They made it all the way to the old tree Dipper and Mabel had sat under yesterday, rifling through the underbrush along the way, but found nothing.

They continued their search well into the afternoon, but their efforts were in vain. Hours of fruitlessly combing the woods forced Dipper and Mabel to face the crushing reality that over 12 years of childhood memories, the last memento of their late parents, was gone forever.

The threesome traipsed on back to the Mystery Shack, their clothes damp, their shoes caked with mud, and for Dipper and Mabel, their eyes downcast and their hearts weighted with misery.

* * *

"I can't believe it's all gone," Mabel said later as they sat in their bedroom. "Ugh- why didn't I just carry the book on our way back!?" She exclaimed, beating her fists against her temple in frustration. "If I had just held onto it, we never would've lost it…"

Dipper didn't know what to say. He didn't want Mabel to think it was her fault- he didn't want to blame her for it either, even though a small part of him said it _was_ her fault. But he couldn't do that to her. Just days ago, he'd lost his mom and dad- today, he lost the last link to their life before Gravity Falls. The last thing he wanted was to lose Mabel, too.

Downstairs, Dipper and Mabel's depression had spread like an infectious disease. Stan, Ford, Wendy, Soos, and Melody were congregated in the living room, with Wendy just having told them the bad news.

"We looked all over the woods and couldn't find it anywhere," Wendy told everyone.

"There's gotta be some way to fix this," said Soos. Like Wendy, it was killing him on the inside to see his two best friends in so much pain; for Soos, Dipper and Mabel were like the little brother and sister he'd never had.

"You threw them a party and did everything you could to make them feel welcome and at home," Ford said. "I don't think there's anything else we can do, except… give them time to heal."

"You know, it took me 10 years to get over my dad never coming back," Soos recollected. "Then Dipper and Mabel came along; and those dudes fought through time and space just to make me happy."

"You said they got something called a 'Time Wish' for you?" Wendy reiterated, an idea beginning to form in her head.

"Yup. The power to alter time in any way, paradox-free!" Soos answered. "That's how I got my Slice of Infinite Pizza!"

"Well… couldn't we get one of those Time Wishes for Dipper and Mabel?" Wendy suggested. "They could wish their parents back to life, if they wanted to. Then everything would be alright."

"I'm afraid that's no longer possible," Ford interjected, flipping through his journal; he stopped at a page with a depiction of giant, floating baby with an even more giant head and an hourglass symbol on it's forehead, and held the book up so everyone could see.

"A Time Wish can only be obtained from Time Baby, who only awards it to those who compete- and win- in a gladiatorial battle arena called 'Globnar'," he explained. "Unfortunately, Bill told me that he destroyed Time Baby before you all rescued me- he won't be around for another thousand years."

"But if he's going to be back a thousand years from now… could we just, you; go to the future?" Soos asked.

"There are several problems with that," Ford elaborated. "Aside from the fact that we don't have a Time-Measure, and I don't understand enough of how they work to make one... Time Baby and I aren't exactly friends."

"Oh, boy… what did you do?" Stan asked his brother.

"It's a long story… my point is, things being what they are, time travel is off the table," Ford finished.

"Do you guys seriously turn to the supernatural to solve all of your problems?" Melody asked in disbelief.

"Just the supernatural problems," Soos replied. "Also, sometimes the supernatural solves our problems for us without asking- it's a complicated relationship."

"Look," said Melody said, pinching her nose. "You don't need to resort to time travel, or magic spells, or potions, or whatever in order to solve this. All Dipper and Mabel need is our support- they need to remember that even though their parents are gone, they still have people who care about them and love them!"

There was a pregnant pause following Melody's speech. There was much wisdom in her words, that which none of them could argue with. But there was still one problem.

"But… how do we show them that?" Stan asked her. "They won't even talk to us."

Wendy, who'd been staring at the floor lost in thought for the past few minutes, suddenly looked up as another idea popped into her head. If what Dipper and Mabel needed most was love and support, then she knew just how to give them that.

"I think I know what to do," she told them all. "All I need is some time to talk to Dipper alone- someone else is going to have to talk to Mabel, though."

"Stan should do it!" Soos suggested, pointing at the old shyster.

"Me?" Stan protested. "Why me? I don't what to say to her..."

"Mabel helped you to get your memories back," Wendy reminded him. "Now you can help her remember who she is."

When Stan raised an eyebrow, Wendy rolled her eyes at him. "Just talk to her when you have a moment alone with her. Speak from the heart; the words will come to you."

* * *

The skies over Gravity Falls began to clear the following day. The air outside was warm again, and by sunset the last clouds had disappeared, allowing the sun to illuminate the town with golden-orange light as it sank slowly towards the horizon.

It was at this time of the day that Dipper chose to go for a walk, alone. Mabel was still beating herself up over losing their family album the other day, and refused to get out of bed.

Dipper wandered down the dirt path from the Mystery Shack into the woods. He knew the creek they'd crossed before flowed into a river about a half-hour's walk from the shack; maybe he hoped to find the album on the banks of that river. Maybe he hoped to bring it back and cheer Mabel up a little. Mostly he just wanted a moment alone, to think.

We he got to the river, he walked to the end of a small dock by the bank, where he sat down and let his feet hang over the edge. It was beautiful out here; as the sun set, the calm black waters of the river were tinged orange, a light breeze loosened pine needles from the trees and sent them cascading down into the river like confetti, and all was quiet save for the sounds of the forest around him; chirping crickets, singing birds, the tree branches swaying in the breeze. It was so… serene.

Dipper breathed deep, drawing in the smell of the summer air. It was comfortably warm outside; it wasn't too hot, but rather just right. Perfect summer weather… but Dipper wasn't in the mood to enjoy it. He hadn't been in the mood to enjoy anything since the accident.

"Dipper?" A voice called out behind him. Dipper turned to see Wendy standing there on the bank, still wearing her bomber jacket from yesterday along with his old pine-tree hat. She walked up to where he sat and looked down at him.

"Is it okay if I sit down?" She asked him. Dipper merely shrugged.

For a while, they just say there, saying nothing. Dipper stared at his reflection in the water; he still wore Wendy's hat, but had swapped his heavy burgundy jacket for a lighter, puffy vest of the same color. In the reflection, he saw Wendy put her arm around his shoulders.

"I know what you're going through; you know that, right?" she said to him. "I went through the same thing when my mom died."

"Your mom?" Dipper repeated, suddenly curious. Wendy never spoke of her mother before, or what happened to her. The one time Dipper asked, she'd merely shaken her head and said nothing. After that, he never mentioned it again, for fear of making her relive painful memories. Dipper hated to see Wendy in any kind of pain.

"You... never told me what happened to her," said Dipper tentatively. Wendy took her arm off his shoulder, placing both hands on the edge of the dock and taking a deep breath.

"Logging accident. I was only 8-years old," was how she told the tale. "She was out working with my dad; I remember he came home late that day, and that's when he told me… she was gone."

Wendy hadn't spoken about her mother's death to anyone before. Until now, she never felt as though she had someone she could confide in. Having kept those emotions buried for so long just talking about it now, speaking aloud of what happened, was enough to bring tears to Wendy's eyes. Dipper took one of her hands in his to comfort her. "I'm so sorry…" he said sincerely. "Did you… do you have anything to remember her by?"

"Not anymore," Wendy explained. "I used to wear her old logging cap all the time… until I gave it to you last summer."

When Dipper realized what she was talking about, he brought a hand up to touch the brim of his hat- Wendy's hat, the one that he now knew had belonged to her mother.

"This used to be your mom's?" Wendy nodded.

"I don't understand… then why would you give it to me?" Dipper inquired.

"I told you… you mean a lot to me, Dipper," she said. "And I wanted you to have something to remember me by."

"But it's your mom's hat-"

"-And now it's yours," Wendy insisted.

Dipper was very confused. Wendy had trusted him with her most sacred memento, the last piece she had of her late mother. What did that mean? Why would she do that?

"Dipper…" she said, taking his hand in hers. "I care about you… a lot. And it hurts me to see you in so much pain."

"It's not easy, losing someone close to you," she went on to say. "But there's a better way to get through it than locking yourself in your room, or wandering the woods alone all day... and that's with help from the people who care about you."

Wendy leaned in closer, tipping his chin up so that his brown eyes met her green ones. "Your mom and dad may be gone… but you still have people who love you. Stan, and Ford. Soos, Melody, Mabel…" she leaned in even closer. "…and you have me."

With that, she pressed her lips to his. Dipper's mind went blank. For a moment, Dipper couldn't think as his brain struggled to process what was happening. Was this real? Wendy, kissing him, on the lips- that only ever happened in his frequent daydreams, but now it was happening for real- or was it another trick by Bill? No, Bill was dead. The shapeshifter? No, that monster was frozen in Ford's hidden bunker-

Dipper didn't know how long they remained there on the edge of the dock. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, as the sun had yet to disappear beneath the horizon, unless they'd been there for several days, and this was simply another sunset on another day-

Finally, Wendy pulled away from him, smiling down at him with her face red. Dipper's face was feeling rather hot as well, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. All the pain and anguish he'd felt over the past few days had suddenly evaporated… Wendy had given him just the thing he needed to fill the hole in his heart left by the deaths of his parents; love.

For the first time since leaving California, Dipper Pines felt happy.

* * *

Around the same time Wendy left the shack to follow Dipper down to the river, Mabel was sitting alone in her bedroom, moping. She stared at the wall miserably, where the last surviving photographs of herself and her brother with their parents were pinned. Only five pictures from their early childhood remained.

Through her negligence, Mabel had cost them the last link they had to their mother and father. Even though he hadn't said it aloud, Mabel knew Dipper blamed her. Just as well- it was her fault, after all. She had to admit that. Mabel wondered if he would come back from his lonely walk… or if he would just keep walking, run away, hop a bus, and leave her alone forever? She couldn't blame him if that's what he decided to do.

Mabel was brought out of her self-pity by a knock on the bedroom door. The door creaked open, and Grunkle Stan peaked in.

"You alright, Pumpkin?" Stan asked her. Mabel would've said yes, just so she could be left alone, but instead she remained silent, hoping Grunkle Stan would get the message and leave her be.

But Stan walked right in; Mabel could tell that he meant to sit on the edge of the bed, so she reluctantly sat up to make room.

"Is it okay if we talk?" Stanley asked his niece. Mabel merely shrugged; she wasn't sure if there was anything Stan could say to make her feel better, but it couldn't hurt to hear him out. She just hoped he would leave her to her grief afterwards.

"You haven't been yourself lately, sweetie," Grunkle Stan said to her. "You spend all day in this attic, you don't knit your sweaters anymore, you won't talk to anyone…"

Mabel said nothing, and kept her eyes fixed to the floor. Stan was trying to remember what Melody said in the living room; _Dipper and Mabel may have lost their parents, but they still have people who care about them._ Right...

Stanley sighed. "Look kiddo; I'm not gonna try and pretend to understand what you're going through," he began. "The closest thing I've been through was losing Ford, but at least I had a way of getting him back-"

"I wish there was a way to bring my mom and dad back," said Mabel, sniffling. Stan put his arm around her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, sweetie… but there isn't," said Stanley. "Wishing isn't going to bring them back… but maybe you can look on the bright side. You still have your brother… and you have me. We're not going anywhere."

"Dipper?" Mabel repeated. "Dipper probably doesn't ever want to speak to me again! I lost the only memento we had of our parents…"

"Now, you know he doesn't feel that way," Stan reassured her. "And I know you feel bad about losing your parent's photo album; but look at it this way… you've already got a head start on making a new one!"

At that point, Mabel realized that Stan was holding her scrapbook, which he opened, flipping through the pages that held all of her favorite memories from not only last summer, but last year's Halloween and Thanksgiving, which they'd spent in Gravity Falls; there were pictures of them watching a scary movie on Halloween with Stan, Ford and Soos- Mabel painting Great Uncle Ford's hand to look like a turkey at Thanksgiving, Stan and Ford messing around with Ford's grappling hook… and of course the countless unforgettable moments from their first incredible summer in Gravity Falls; fishing with Grunkle Stan, trick-or-treating at Summerween, Mabel winning Waddles at the Mystery Fair, and so many other cherished childhood memories.

Looking at it all, remembering that one amazing summer brought a smile to Mabel's face for the first time in days. What's more, she noticed her scrapbook wasn't even half full- there was plenty of more space to immortalize future family gatherings and adventures.

"You still have your old memories; maybe not in a book anymore, but… you know; inside," Stan reminded her. "And you can fill this book with new ones. Your folks wouldn't want to see you like this, kiddo- they wanted you and your brother to be happy. That was their whole life; that's why they saved all those pictures in the first place. Maybe you can't replace them… but you can always pick up where your mom and pop left off."

Mabel was crying again, only this time there were a few tears of happiness mixed in with the sadness. Her heart hadn't quite healed yet… but Grunkle Stan's words were enough for her to begin putting her life back together. For now, it was enough.

* * *

Before the sun was to finally set, Dipper and Wendy returned to the Mystery Shack, hand-in-hand. Dipper was eager to talk to Mabel, to tell her the incredible news… and also to apologize for secretly blaming her for losing their family album. Even if he hadn't said the words aloud, he felt bad just for thinking it. He also figured that unless Mabel had been united with her one true love in last half-hour as he had, she would still be in need of cheering up.

But Dipper was surprised when they walked in the door to find that Mabel was _not_ still moping about in the attic bedroom, but sitting in the living room with Stan, Soos, and Melody; then men appeared o be watching a movie on the TV while Mabel was showing Melody her scrapbook. Mabel was just in the middle of telling Melody the story of their first Summerween when she noticed Dipper and Wendy come in.

"Dipper! Mabel exclaimed, leaping up from her spot on the floor and rushing over to hug her brother. "For a second, I thought you decided to run away…"

"Why would I do that?" Dipper asked.

"I just… I thought you might be mad at me for losing mom and dad's photo album…" she said guiltily.

"I would never do something like that," Dipper assured her. "Besides… it wasn't really your fault. I shouldn't have blamed you."

"But you never-"

"I did think it, once or twice- that's almost as bad," Dipper asserted, preferring to be honest with her.

"Oh…" Mabel responded. "Well, it doesn't matter."

"Listen," Mabel urged. "Since we lost the old one, Grunkle Stan gave me an idea that maybe we could get started on making a new one."

"That sounds like a perfect idea," Wendy agreed. "Tell you what; I'll bring you back some pictures when Dipper and I get back from our date tomorrow."

"Wait; we have a date tomorrow?" Dipper asked. He and Wendy had only just shared their first kiss- she hadn't said anything about a date- until just now.  
"I figure we need to make up for lost time," Wendy replied, winking at him.

Mabel's eyes widened in shock as her mind struggled to comprehend what she was hearing.

"Wait a minute- say that again?" Mabel stammered. "You… and Dipper?"

Wendy nodded.

"You two are a couple!?" Dipper's twin sister exclaimed.

"Yup," Wendy replied. "Also, we may have just gotten back from… what did you call it? 'Smooch City'?"

Dipper gave Wendy a "Did you really have to tell her that?" look. Wendy just shrugged and bent down to kiss him on the cheek; Mabel let out a high-pitched shriek of joy that nearly blew out Stan's hearing aid, and Dipper's face turned redder than a tomato.

* * *

With Dipper and Mabel's welcoming party from the previous night having been such a somber affair, they all agreed that a proper celebration was in order to make up for it. Stan ordered them a couple of pizzas, while Melody took the twins "Welcome Home!" cake out of the refrigerator; only a quarter of it was missing, since none of them ate much after Dipper and Mabel excused themselves that first night.

After dinner, they took the leftover pizza, cake, and ice cream into the living room to enjoy a movie together. Dipper took a spot in between Wendy's legs as she leaned back against the sofa, allowing her to take his hat off and run her hands lovingly through his hair- this prompted Mabel to rush upstairs and get her camera so she could take a picture of her brother and her "future sister-in-law" for their new family album, causing both of them to blush.

At the end of the night, Dipper and Mabel headed upstairs, stopping by the bathroom to brush their teeth before returning to their attic bedroom. Before she went to bed, Mabel gathered the last few photographs of their parents that she'd pinned to the wall, and placed them in her scrapbook before scribbling at the top of the page "Old Times".

"I wish they could've buried mom and dad in Gravity Falls, at least," Mabel lamented. "They never told us where they were going to be buried…"

"Probably next to our aunt and uncle- although I don't think mom is going to be happy about that," Dipper suggested.

"I know, right?" Mabel agreed. "I wish we still had that picture of her punching Uncle Jackie in the face."

Dipper laughed, as did Mabel. Thanks to their friends, family- and Dipper's new girlfriend, the twins were beginning to feel truly happy again, to make peace with what had happened on graduation day. They finally realized how lucky they were to have such a loving family, something they wouldn't forget again.

Mabel sat beside Dipper on his bed, and they took one last look at the remaining photos of their mother and father, who smiled back at them from within their frames.

"You know… if you're lucky enough to have people who truly care about you, you should never take them for granted," Dipper said to his sister.

"Agreed," Mabel replied. "Goodnight, mom and dad…" and with that, she slowly closed the book, crossed the room, and placed it on the table beside her bed.

Mabel crawled under the covers, as did Dipper on the other side of the attic. Only now did they realize that the beds were a little too small for them- they'd grown a few inches since they last came to Gravity Falls. The twins would have to talk to Grunkle Stan in the morning about getting some new beds. After all, they were going to be staying just for the summer this time; this was their home now. The Mystery Shack, in Gravity Falls, surrounded by all the people who loved them.

For Dipper and Mabel, there really was no place like home.

* * *

 **Author's Notes : This is not the ending; Dipper and Mabel still have a ways to go before they heal completely, and their new life in Gravity Falls won't be perfect; like most teens, they'll have to go through their share of anxiety and heartbreak, and Gravity Falls being what it is, expect more supernatural forces and monsters to come out of the woods. Also, expect more WenDip down the road- though their relationship will not be without problems.**


	3. A Date With Dipper

**Author's Note : Expect a lot of WenDip in this chapter and the next, but it won't become the main focus of the story. There may also be other ships later on, but after Chapter 4 I mean to get into those new mysteries I promised. After all, what's Gravity Falls without the mystery element? I just wanted to focus on the characters first. BTW, I apologize if this chapter is a bit short; the next one will be much longer. Anyway, read and review.**

* * *

It'd been seven days since Dipper and Mabel returned to Gravity Falls, and things were finally starting to return to normal… well, almost normal. Or as normal as it could be for a town constantly plagued by the supernatural.

Several things had changed since their stay in Gravity Falls during last year's summer vacation; for one thing, the Mystery Shack was a lot more crowded- at the start of last year's vacation, the Shack's only permanent residents were Dipper, Mabel, and Stan… also Gompers he goat, but he lived outside. Now they had Ford, Soos and Melody, then Wendy, and finally Waddles.

Dipper and Mabel as always lived in the attic room- which now had two new large beds for the twins, after they complained to Stan that their legs hung off the edge of the mattresses on their old beds. The old man nearly broke his neck the other day trying to get their new beds up the stairs before he had the common sense to disassemble them first. Once everything was set up, the twins found it to be a nice change from the ratty old mattresses they'd slept on during the last summer.

Ford set up a camp bed in his private study, since Soos and Melody took over the break room- what used to be his bedroom, before he was sucked into an interdimensional portal and his brother turned his house into the Mystery Shack. Also, Ford was still a little paranoid and felt that he needed to guard his research, even with Bill vanquished.

When she first moved into the Mystery Shack, Wendy was given no choice but to sleep on the couch in the living room- until she raised enough of a stink over it that Stan allowed her to turn the parlor into a bedroom. Dipper soon found himself spending a lot of time in this room with his best friend- now girlfriend. Like before, they liked to hang out every other night to watch a movie together... the only thing that changed was that there was a lot more cuddling and kissing go on, something Mabel teased Dipper to no end about.

As Dipper and Mabel came out of their depression, their newly extended family was doing everything they could to make them feel more at home… going as far as to spoil them a little.

Stan of course got them the new beds, while Ford presented the twins with a copy of his new journal; Journal #4. Dipper never finished reading the first two journals before they were destroyed, and this new one had almost everything Ford was able to save from the previous journals by going through his files, and it was also filled with records of his findings in the Arctic Ocean from his adventures with Grunkle Stan. Dipper was looking forward to going on some new adventures, but there was so much to read through… he didn't know where to start.

They also had Melody, who made a point to cook breakfast for everyone almost every morning, provided she wasn't busy around the Shack. It was a refreshing change, since Dipper and Mabel knew from experience that Stan wasn't the best cook. If they never had to eat his infamous "Stancakes" for breakfast again, it would be too soon.

Finally, Wendy and Soos both pitched in and bought a brand-new video game system to set up in the Shack's living room for the twins to enjoy. They bought a total of four games, two for each of the kids; Wendy picked up a copy of a fantasy online role-playing game that catered to Dipper's love of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons- a game called _"The Elder Tomes: Online"._ Also a post-apocalyptic survival game called _"Falloff 4",_ though Dipper didn't play this much- they'd all lived through the real apocalypse, so it wasn't something he was eager to revisit, even in a video game.

For Mabel, Soos bought a kiddy puzzle-adventure game called _"Fiesta Piñata"-_ and for reasons Dipper could not comprehend, an open-world, gang-themed crime simulator dubbed _"Angel's Row: The Sixth"._

Mabel and Wendy were playing it right then, that Saturday morning; each girl had created a near-perfect in-game representation of themselves, with Mabel's avatar wearing a blue sweater with a white cross- the symbol of the fictional gang in the game, the 6th Street Angels. As it was only a two-player game, Dipper watched from the sidelines as his 13-year old sister's video-game self ran around the fictional city of Silverport wielding a laser machine-gun, highjacking cars and splattering pedestrians for points, all while listening to Kinte North's _"Power"_ over her virtual highjacked car's radio. It made for a peculiar sight, to put it lightly.

"Since when are you into these kinds of games?" Dipper asked his sister, who'd actually never been interested in any kind of video game before.

"Since forty-eight hours and twenty-seven minutes ago," Mabel replied. Indeed, she hadn't slept in forty-eight hours and twenty-seven minutes; her eyes were bloodshot and her skin pale from being inside for so long. It was abnormal, even for Mabel.

"Don't you think you should take a break now, Mabel?" Suggested Wendy, who'd only been playing the game with her roughly an hour.

"Now that you mention it, I do need a bathroom break," Mabel agreed. When she didn't move for at least 60 seconds following that statement, Dipper blanched.

"Oh, please tell me you're not planning on going right now, in front of the TV," Dipper pleaded.

Mabel blushed. "No; it just… I've been holding it in for a while, and I'm worried what might happen if I stand up."

Dipper and Wendy exchanged horrified looks; Wendy immediately forced Mabel to pause the game before steadily helping the younger girl to her feet, and escorted her upstairs to the bathroom.

Dipper, suddenly feeling like relaxing with a little TV, switched off the game console and ran upstairs get his Ghost Harassers DVD collection. On the way up, he bumped into Wendy, who was waiting outside the bathroom for Mabel.

"I told Soos not to buy that game for her," Wendy told him. "Not that I have anything against over-the-top violent video games, but when you go 48 hours without a bathroom break…"

"I know what you mean," Dipper agreed. "You should've told Soos about what happened with the Smile Dip."

"Slipped my mind," said Wendy, shrugging. "So, are we cool to go to the movies tonight?"

"You know it!" Dipper affirmed. Tonight was to be his and Wendy's second date, after they'd officially become a couple 84 hours, 15 minutes, and 22 seconds ago… that was Dipper's rough estimate, anyway. In that time, they'd gone on their first date to a pizza place in the mall, and somehow Dipper succeeded in getting through it without screwing it all up or making a fool of himself. He was determined to succeed a second time.

The plan was to go see the new _Space Wars_ movie; something Dipper hoped for since before the tragic accident from a week before. Dipper was originally going to see it with his father, but now he was gone… but now he could still it with Wendy, and that wasn't so bad.

Dipper and Mabel had made a pact to try and move on with their lives- to stop dwelling on the tragic events at the beginning of the summer. At the same time, everyone else living at the Mystery Shack agreed to do everything they could to make Dipper and Mabel feel happy and at home, hence the spoiling of the twins with attention and a plethora of gifts.

More determined to help her friends than anyone was Wendy; it was her idea to buy the video game system to take their mind off things, and she was also paying extra attention to Dipper- he was her new boyfriend, and Wendy also felt as though she'd been a little unfair to him last summer. When Dipper first confessed his feelings for her, Wendy's reply was that he was too young for her. After having a year to think about and reflect on it, Wendy came to the conclusion that Dipper deserved a chance at least; he was more mature than the other boys she'd dated, and what was more, he truly cared about her. What more could she ask for?

* * *

"Okay, Dipper," he said to his reflection in the mirror. "This is only your second date with Wendy. Just be cool, and whatever you do, don't screw this up!"

Mabel, who was laying upside down on her bed, rolled her eyes. Her brother came close to having a panic attack just before his first date with Wendy, but that evening had ended perfectly- she knew, because Mabel spied on them the entire time with her friends Candy and Grenda. Dipper surprised her that night… she watched as he and Wendy passed through the night talking and laughing together, making fun of Dipper for his disastrous attempt to learn how to talk to girls the previous summer and for taking Stan's dating advice, while Dipper played the part of the perfect boyfriend as Wendy told him about going through her latest year of high-school, listening intently like he was supposed to. At the end of the night, they returned to the Mystery Shack to share another passionate kiss (which Mabel caught on camera this time), before heading for their separate rooms. Mabel was pleased to see her twin brother fall asleep that night with the most adorable smile on his face.

That was how Mabel dealt with her grief; it made her happy to see others happy, and none more so than her brother… especially after all the times he'd sacrificed for her.

Mabel excused herself so that Dipper could get dressed for the big night ahead- which was also the perfect excuse for her to sneak outside, grab her bike, and meet Candy and Grenda at the movie theater before the new couple got there. Though sleep-deprived from playing that video game for over two days straight, Mabel was able to wake herself back up with a quick nap and a few shots of her special "Mabel Juice". There was no way in heck she was going to miss this.

* * *

Wanting to make a good impression, Dipper taught himself to shower ever day (something he'd previously been too lazy to do), and also made sure to launder his clothes; like always, he would wear his burgundy vest, pine-tree shirt, khaki cargo pants, all warm and freshly laundered, along with Wendy's hat. Satisfied with his appearance and fairly certain that he couldn't smell himself, he ran downstairs to meet Wendy, who waited for him by the front door.

"Are you wearing cologne?" Wendy asked him, mildly amused. Dipper blushed; he had in fact borrowed a bottle of some French cologne from Stan's bathroom- he wondered if maybe he'd used too much.

"I can't believe you go through so much trouble just for me," Wendy said to Dipper as she messed with his hat. "You really need to learn to take it easy."

"I'm sorry, I just… I've never had a girlfriend before," Dipper replied with a hint of embarrassment.

"That's because all other teenage girls are stuck-up and shallow," Wendy asserted, causing Dipper to blush even more. "Now come on; I want to show you my new ride."

For their last date, Dipper and Wendy walked to their destination. This time, Wendy showed him a brand-new motorcycle parked out front of the Shack, with a pair of helmets laid on the seat- one for each of them.

"Wow!" Dipper said, impressed. "How did you get this!?"

"I bought it from Bud Gleeful with one of those coupons he gave everyone last year," Wendy explained. "Took me a while to get it running again, but boy was it worth it!"

Wendy took one of the helmets and placed it on her head, before handing Dipper the spare. The both climbed onto the motorcycle (Dipper needed a leg up), and once Wendy was sure that Dipper held on tight, she started the engine, and the bike roared down the dirt road towards town.

* * *

Mabel had enough of a head that she was able to get to reach the movie theater well ahead of her brother and Wendy, even with Wendy racing towards the same destination at recklessly high speed on a motorcycle.

The three girlfriends hid in the bushes, each of them scanning the street with binoculars for Gravity Falls' new "power couple". To better conceal themselves, all three girls wore black with grease paint on their faces- though Grenda had slipped up a bit but wearing a colorful T-shirt over her black sweater that said "WenDip"; Grenda's new name for Dipper and Wendy's "ship".

Ignoring Grenda's blatant disregard for the fourth wall and the need to remain hidden, Mabel kept her eyes glue to the street. After several moments passed and the couple didn't appear, Mabel lowered her binoculars and pulled out a tape recorder.

 _"Mabel's log, 8:00 PM,"_ she said into the recorder. _"Still no sign of Pine-Tree or Lumberjack._ Repeat; _still no sighting._ Movie set to start in 15 minutes… I wonder if we're at the right movie theater?"

 _"THERE'S LIKE; ONLY ONE MOVIE THEATER IN GRAVITY FALLS!"_ Grenda replied in her usual thunderous voice.

"Unless… they could be going to the drive in…" Candy suggested.

"This town has a drive-in?" Mabel asked. At any rate, it didn't matter; they soon heard the roar of an engine, and a motorcycle pulled into the theater parking lot, stopping in a handicap space with two riders- one tall in a green flannel shirt and bomber jacket, one small in a pine-tree shirt and reddish brown vest. Sur enough, when they removed their helmets, it was Wendy and Dipper, who dismounted from the bike and walked up to theater front door hand-in-hand.

Mabel, Candy, and Grenda ducked out of sight- Mabel raised her hand over the bushes and got off a quick snapshot with her camera phone, then posted it to her Twister account for all her friends to see… even though those friends were sitting in the bushes right next to her.

 _"Targets have arrived!"_ Mabel whispered enthusiastically into the recorder. _"Love Patrol Beta, move out!"_

Mabel and her girlfriends slipped into the theater behind Dipper and Wendy, using whatever cover the could find to remain out-of-sight.

* * *

Dipper and Wendy took their place in line to grab their popcorn and a soda, with Dipper digging through his pockets to make sure he had enough money to pay for the snacks; Wendy had already bought the tickets earlier that day, so he felt he should be the one to pay for popcorn. He'd get a small bucket if he came up short- Wendy could have it all to herself, he didn't need popcorn that badly.

"Can we get a large popcorn and a large soda?" Wendy asked the girl at the counter ; Dipper hadn't finished counting the money yet, but he was fairly certain he didn't have enough for a large popcorn _and_ a soda.

"Uh, Wendy? I don't think I have enough-"

"Just relax, dude," Wendy cut across, fishing around in her pocket and placing the money on the counter. Dipper dejectedly stuffed what little cash he had back in his own pocket.

They had to wait a little longer than usual to get their popcorn, as the girl who was supposed to be getting it ended up spilling it all over the floor the first time, prompting Dipper and Wendy to laugh at her predicament.

"Hey, didn't Thompson used to work here?" Dipper asked his girlfriend, reminded of their awkward friend by the incident.

"Yeah… they fired him," Wendy told him. "The manager found out he was drinking all the popcorn butter."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Dipper laughed.

Dipper didn't know it, but Wendy was secretly glad that Thompson wasn't there. He was terrible at keeping secrets.

You see, Wendy didn't tell any of her friends that she was going out with Dipper. As far as Tambry, Robbie, Nate, Lee, and Thompson were concerned, Wendy was still single and through with boys forever. It being that Wendy was 16, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed by the thought of her friends learning she was going out with a 13-year old boy. Sure, they liked Dipper; Nate had officially christened him "Dr. Fun Times" last summer for being the cool kid that he was, but still… being friends and being a couple were two completely different things.

Wendy had already washed the stench of "freak" off years ago after getting rid of her braces and pigtails; she didn't want to be labeled as a freak again. So for now, this would be her and Dipper's little secret… more her secret than Dipper's. As long as none of her friends showed up, she would be-

Oh, _darn._

No sooner had the thought crossed Wendy's mind than two of her friends walked into the theater behind them; Robbie and Tambry, of all people, obviously on a date themselves. Wendy started to freak out.

"Hey, can we get our popcorn already?" Wendy urged the girl working the counter. Thankfully, she placed a full bucket of popcorn and an empty cup for their soda on the counter right then, and the soda machines were one the opposite side of the theater lobby from Robbie and Tambry.

Dipper grabbed the cup and ran it over to the soda dispensers to fill it with Pitt Cola, while Wendy took the popcorn and walked over to the theater entrance, where she anxiously waited for him to finish. Unfortunately, Dipper had a little trouble getting the ice machine to work, thus Wendy spent three minutes casting furtive glances in the direction of her friends.

Watching this whole scene unfold was Mabel, who'd hidden in a trash can by the front doors. Candy and Grenda weren't far away, keeping their backs turned and trying to avoid drawing attention.

"Girls, did you just see that?" Mabel asked.

"Saw what? Candy whispered back.

"Wendy," Mabel replied. "Robbie and Tambry walked in, and she just sort of… freaked out."

 _"WHY DO YOU THINK SHE DID THAT?"_ Grenda asked Mabel, who shrugged.

"I don't know…" Mabel pondered. "Could she be embarrassed about being seen on a date with Dipper?"

"We had better find out," Candy suggested. Mabel agreed, hopped out of the trash can, and the three friends ran to the theater after Dipper and Wendy-

-Only to be thrown out by security, who seized them and escorted the girls out the front door.

Back in the theater, Wendy was relieved when she didn't see Robbie or Tambry for the rest of the night. Knowing them, they were probably there to see some cheesy horror flick instead, so Wendy's secret was still safe- from them, at least. She and Dipper went through the remainder of the evening acting like a normal couple, holding hands, and later sharing a kiss at the same time as two of the characters on the screen. Everyone else was too absorbed that there was a 16-year old girl kissing a boy a head shorter than her in the middle of the theater, and that suited Wendy just fine.

Mabel, Candy, and Grenda spent all night trying to find a way back inside the theater, until one mean security guard caught them a third time and threatened to call their parents. So it was that the girls walked back to the Mystery Shack, defeated, yet still deeply concerned for their friend and brother.

Mabel was happy for Dipper at first, but now she was worried. Like her, he was still trying to get over the deaths of their parents. Wendy had helped him a great deal, but if she was embarrassed by their relationship… Mabel didn't like to think how Dipper would take it if he found out.

"What are we going to do?" Mabel asked no one in particular when they got back to the Mystery Shack. Neither of her friends had any answers for her. Mabel was afraid for her brother, that he might get his heart broken again. She was going to have to have a talk with Wendy about all this… no one messed with Mabel's brother and got away with it, not even Wendy Corduroy.

* * *

 **Author's Note : Wendy and Dipper may be perfect for each other, but that doesn't mean they'd have a 100% perfect relationship. For Wendy, the problem is getting over the social taboo of dating someone 3 years younger than her. Even if she loves him, I can't imagine it would be that easy to dismiss what others think of her. You don't need me to tell you that being a teenager is hell. The question is... can she get over her feelings of embarrassment before Dipper has his little heart crushed? Keep an eye out for the next chapter if you wanna find out :) It's gonna be a long one, so be ready.**


	4. A Hard Lesson

**Author's Note : Got some great feedback on the last chapter, guys. Thank you. It's really helped to boost my confidence and help me keep writing. Here's the latest chapter; I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Wendy Corduroy was not a morning person… which was ironic, since her internal clock usually woke her as early as around 6:00 AM. It did so that day after her second date with Dipper, forcing her to roll out of bed at 5:53.

Feeling parched as she rolled out of bed, Wendy urged her stiff legs to carry her downstairs for a glass of orange juice, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she did so. The house was pretty quiet, as no one else was up… as far as she knew. Wendy managed to find at least one clean glass in the cabinet before moving on to the fridge; the carton of orange juice was almost empty, so she poured what remained into her glass while making a mental note to run down to the store and buy more later- then closed the door.

When she did, Wendy nearly jumped out of her skin when she found Mabel standing their in her nightshirt, arms folded in a disapproving manner, and a look upon her face that suggested that she was not happy.

"Mabel!" Wendy exclaimed, startled by her sudden appearance. "What are you doing down here this early?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Mabel shot back suspiciously. Wendy merely shrugged; being half-asleep, she was rather slow in guessing why the normally-upbeat Mabel would be angry with her.

"Just getting myself a drink…" Wendy replied tiredly as she walked passed her and took a seat at the table. Up until that point, she remained mostly ignorant of Mabel's disapproving glare… until she drained her glass and saw that Mabel hadn't moved, and still had her fixed with that "I'm not happy with you" look.

"Okay, I confess," Wendy said obliviously. "I drank the last of the orange juice. I'm gonna buy more later, okay?"

When Mabel didn't drop her disapproving stance, Wendy gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay, I'll go right now. Just as soon as I get dressed-"

"I'd like to know what sick game you're playing at," Mabel snapped. Wendy raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I'm not sure what you-"

 _"Don't play games with me, Corduroy!"_ Mabel snapped again, climbing up on the chair and pointing an accusing finger at her. Wendy was more confused; Mabel seemed very angry at her for some reason… and since when did she call her by her last name?

"Last night, at the movie theater," Mabel elaborated. "I saw the way you acted around Dipper when your friends walked in."

 _Uh-oh._

"Uh… what do you mean?" Wendy replied, feigning ignorance.

"You seemed in a real hurry to get out of their when Robbie and Tambry showed up," Mabel accused. "If I didn't know any better… I'd think you were embarrassed to be seen on a date with my brother."

"Really? Uh… why would you think that?" Was Wendy's retort; but she could see Mabel was a sharp as a razor, and she wasn't going to be fooled by Wendy's blatant denial.

"Alright, you caught me," Wendy confessed, hanging her head in shame, "So, I'm a little self-conscious about dating a guy who's three years my junior and half my size."

 _"Oh, poor Wendy!"_ Mabel replied sarcastically. "Who cares about that? What are you going to do when Dipper realizes you're embarrassed to be seen with him in front of your friends?"

 _"Don't tell him!"_ Wendy begged the younger girl. "If he finds out, he'll be crushed!"

"I'm not going to tell him," Mabel stated. "But you're crazy if you think he won't eventually find out. And when he does-"

"He won't," Wendy insisted. "All I need to do is schedule our dates at different times and different places than wherever the gang's hanging out… and, keep doing that until we're at least the same height."

 _"I can't believe you!"_ Mabel objected. "I thought you were better than this; I thought you were different than other girls! But no; you didn't turn Dipper down before because you're too old for him- you're embarrassed by what your friends might think!"

Mabel was making Wendy feel steadily worse about herself. But she was one-hundred percent right about her; Wendy was being incredibly shallow and self-centered. She couldn't help it; she was a 16-year old girl, and even if she didn't want to admit it openly, that meant she couldn't help but worry about her outward appearance just a little bit. Only in her case, there was more at stake than her ridiculous image- if she ever slipped up, if Dipper were to learn that she was hiding their relationship from her friends, he would be forever broken.

"You need to make a choice, right now," Mabel insisted. "You either forget about what your friends think and stop trying to hide this… or you tell Dipper the truth, and leave him alone."

"You mean break up with him? I can't do that!" Wendy objected. There were several problems with that, not the least of which was shattering Dipper's heart, and Wendy really did care about him. She didn't want to lose him.

"Then you know what you have to do," Mabel insinuated. She hopped down from the chair she was standing on and left the kitchen, leaving Wendy to wallow in her guilt and self-pity.

* * *

Wendy ended up walking to the convenience store rather than riding her motorcycle, choosing to use the extra time to think. By the time she'd paid for the two cartons of orange juice she was to bring back to the Mystery Shack, she'd made up her mind- Wendy would put off her next date with Dipper until she was ready to face her friends. Hang out with him at the Shack, play some video games or watch movies together like they used to. She didn't want to lose Dipper, but she wasn't quite ready to be banished back to the crushing humiliation of Planet Freak just yet.

To that end, the next few days at the Mystery Shack were to devolve into the same monotonous daily routine; wake up in the morning, get a drink from the kitchen, wake up Dipper, spend the day in front of the TV watching cartoons and playing video games- with the occasional session of cuddling on the couch or making out- go to bed, rinse, repeat… all while trying to avoid the disapproving glares of Mabel Pines, who knew exactly what Wendy was doing and didn't like it one bit.

That was no doubt why, on the fourth day of hiding in the shack, Mabel strongly suggested to Dipper that the time was ripe for his and Wendy's third date.

"Sounds good," Dipper agreed when Mabel ran the suggestion by him. "I've been wanting for us to go out again."

"What do you think, Wendy?" Dipper asked. "We could go exploring in the woods, it's been a while since we've been on an adventure-"

" _No!"_ Mabel shouted, causing both Dipper and Wendy to jump out of their skins.

"Sorry," she apologized. "What I mean is… can you really consider a mystery hunt a proper date? Why not go see another movie… or go out for a romantic dinner… I don't know, just; something besides sitting around the house or taking a dangerous walk in the woods. What do you think, Wendy?"

Wendy's face burned bright red. Dipper's gaze traveled back and forth between the two, try to discern what was going on between his sister and his girlfriend.

"Wendy?" Dipper asked, placing his hand on top of hers. "Is something wrong? Is there a reason you don't wanna go out?"

Mabel had the most evil, diabolical smile on her face by then, silently mocking Wendy's predicament in a way that was like "take my brother out on a date, or else". Thoroughly stuck between… some manner of immovable object and hard place, Wendy was left with little choice but to take Dipper out on a date.

Since Wendy's whole plan was to stay inside until she was ready to face the music, she was completely unprepared for whatever awaited her. She hadn't kept track of the gang's plans, so she had no idea where the might be hanging out that day, or how she might avoid them. But that was the whole idea behind Mabel's insidious plan. It was payback against Wendy for trying to hide her relationship with Dipper in the first place.

Maybe she should just stop being ridiculous, was what Wendy began to think as she and Dipper mounted her motorcycle a half-hour later. Maybe she should just tell everyone that she and Dipper were together; get it over with. What was the worst thing that could happen? Aside from her friends kicking her out of the gang, never speaking to her again, becoming the laughing stock of everyone in Gravity Falls High, being labeled as a desperate bimbo and a freak for all eternity?

In hindsight, if Wendy hadn't overlooked the most important thing that day… maybe she wouldn't have screwed up so bad.

* * *

They decided to go back to the pizza place at the mall. There was a high chance of them running into the gang there, but once Dipper said he felt like revisiting the place where they had their first date, and Wendy saw that adorable nostalgic look in his eyes, she couldn't say no.

Dipper remained oblivious to what was going on in his girlfriend's head… even when they walked into the pizza parlor, and Wendy saw not just Robbie or Tambry, but every member of their gang seated at a table on the other side of the restaurant, which immediately caused her to start hyperventilating.

At first, they took no notice of her. Dipper ordered them a couple slices of pizza, not bothering to ask Wendy why she was so quiet, or why she was sweating profusely. Wendy felt like an idiot; nothing had happened yet, and she was already freaking out like she'd never freaked out before.

Finally, they took their seats at the table farthest from Robbie, Tambry, and the others. It was then that Dipper noticed something was wrong.

"Wendy, are you okay?" He asked her with genuine concern, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "You seem… tense."

What was she supposed to tell him? That she was embarrassed to be on a date with him in front of her "cool" friends? That she felt guilty for being embarrassed, when all he'd even done was show her genuine compassion, treated her like a true and trusted friend and an equal like no other boy had?

Wendy swallowed the lump in her throat. Maybe that was what she was supposed to do; be honest with him. He deserved that much. She opened her mouth, but no words came out- and before she could think of what to say, Dipper suddenly announced that he had to use the bathroom.

"Probably should've gone before we left," Dipper said in afterthought. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Wendy let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as Dipper's diminutive form retreated to the Men's room.

"Hey, Wendy!" Called her friend Nate from the corner table; the jig was up, and they knew she was there. Nate, Lee, Robbie, Tambry, and Thompson all immediately got up from where they were sitting and crowded around her table.

"Where have you been, Wendy?' Tambry asked first. "We haven't seen you in days."

"Oh, you know, just… hanging out at the Shack," Wendy replied honestly.

"With Dipper and Mabel?" Tambry inquired. "How are they doing? You said their parents had died…"

Oh, that was right. Wendy recalled the day after she'd confessed her feelings to Dipper; she was in the electronics store with Soos, buying that game console for the kids. She bumped into Tambry, told her what happened- having failed to mention that Dipper and Mabel were coming back to Gravity Falls, Wendy gave her friend a quick recap of everything that had transpired with the car crash, Dipper and Mabel moving to Gravity Falls, and the attempts by their family and friends to snap them out of their depression. Wendy almost let slip that she and Dipper had kissed during that conversation... and that's when she realized that her friends might be less-than-accepting of her dating a kid in middle school, and what it could mean for her reputation.

"Earth to Corduroy?" Tambry called, snapping Wendy out of her reverie.

"What?" Wendy asked no one, having momentarily forgotten where she was.

"I asked if Dipper and Mabel were okay; you told me before that their parents were dead. That they moved into the Mystery Shack with you," Tambry repeated.

"Oh, yeah- they're doing much better now," Wendy finally answered.

"Don't know what the big deal is," Robbie chimed in. "I wouldn't give a rat's hat if my parents died…"

"That's… kind of messed up, dude," Lee remarked.

"Your face is messed up."

"Coming from the guy who wears makeup-"

"So, what are you doing here? Tambry asked, talking over her bickering friends. "Are you here all by yourself?"

There was the million-dollar question. Dipper had yet to come back from the bathroom, so he couldn't answer it for her. Oh well; it was now or never.

"Actually, I'm…" Wendy took a deep breath, and managed a smile. "I'm here with Dipper."

There was a long silence following this revelation. Wendy held her breath, waiting for her friends to react.

"So…" Thompson began. "…are you guys like, on a date, or… something?"

"Uh-"

"Get real, Thompson," Tambry interjected. "Why would she be on a date with Dipper? The kid's only thirteen. Not to mention he's only slightly taller than one of those gnomes you see in the woods."

Everyone laughed at Tambry's comment… including Wendy, secretly hating herself for doing so.

"No, we're not on a date, Thompson," Wendy lied before she could stop herself. "I'm just trying to cheer him up, you know? He just lost his folks, I thought he could us a friend..."

"Yeah, it'd be funny to picture that kid on a date," Robbie remarked cruelly, having ignored what Wendy just said about Dipper's parents. "Imagine him climbing up a stepladder for his first kiss. That sucker's _tiny."_

Wendy wanted to punch Robbie almost as bad as she wanted to stab herself for laughing at his stupid joke. Instead she just laughed along with them, trying to keep up appearances even as her conscience screamed at her for not telling them the truth; that she was there on a date with Dipper, that they were going out, and that was head-over-heals in love with the kid and had been since last summer and denying it to herself for just as long.

But she didn't say any of those things. Instead, the crew left the parlor still laughing at Robbie's lame joke… except Tambry, oddly enough. Tambry noticed that Wendy had laughed a little too much- Wendy never laughed when Robbie made fun of Dipper, and Tambry knew this well. Would she suspect her?

Wendy didn't feel like worrying about it just then. She already felt lousy for lying to everyone like that. At least she and Dipper could enjoy the rest of their-

Wait; how long had Dipper been in the bathroom?

Wendy got up from her seat and walked up the Men's room, taking a quick peek inside to see if Dipper was still in there, half-expecting to see him washing his hands at the sink, hopefully none the wiser to what just happened outside.

"Dipper?" She called out. There was no answer- he wasn't there anymore.

Wendy turned around and scanned the restaurant for her boyfriend. She caught sight of him almost immediately; walking out the door, his head hung low… and the glimmer of a tear sliding down his cheek. Wendy's blood turned to ice.

Dipper had heard everything.

* * *

Wendy chased after her small friend, who became lost in the crowd on the way out of the mall. Outside, night had fallen. The streetlights had turned on. She found him sitting underneath one of them, on the edge of the sidewalk just a ways down the street from the front door. As Wendy approached him, she could hear him sniffling.

"Dipper?" Wendy called to him. "Are you okay?"

 _Of course he's not okay; you just ripped out his heart and crushed it under your boot, you big jerk,_ Wendy couldn't help but think to herself. Her insides were bursting with guilt at the sight of Dipper, broken beyond repair for the second time in less than two weeks, knowing that she was the cause of it.

Wendy sat down beside him, and reached her around his shoulders- only for him to push her away angrily, while keeping his face hidden.

"Dipper-"

"Go away," Dipper choked out between sobs.

"Dipper, please… I don't know what you heard back there, by I promise you- I didn't mean any of it!" Wendy tried to tell him. Dipper finally looked up, and she could see that his eyes were red and puffy, tears flowing down his cheeks like a floodgate had opened.

"What am I to you, Wendy?" Dipper asked her in a small voice.

"You're my best friend- and my boyfriend!" Wendy reassured him.

"Am I?" Dipper asked. "Is this what it's really like? You, and Robbie, and all the others laughing behind my back when you think I can't hear you?"

"You know that's not how it is," Wendy tried to tell him; but Dipper wasn't listening to her.

"I thought you loved me the way I love you…" he said to her, hanging his head. "I thought I had true friends in this town, but I was wrong. I'm just a big joke to all of you, aren't I? Just like Thompson. Just another guy you pick on for the heck of it."

It wasn't true, none of it was, Wendy wanted to tell him. How could he think that she'd be so cruel, after all he'd done for her? But Dipper didn't want to hear any more; he simply took off her mom's hat, the one she'd trusted him with knowing he would take care of it and hold onto it just to remember her… and handed it back to her.

"You can have this back," Dipper told her through his tears. He dropped it into her lap, stood up, and turned to leave.

"You know what?" Dipper said to her. "You always say guys are the worst… but you really don't have any room to talk."

* * *

Wendy sat there, alone on the sidewalk, for what seemed like eternity. Her heart was weighed down with so much guilt and shame for the way she'd treated Dipper that she was rooted to the spot.

Dipper was right about her; that was Wendy's conclusion. He'd shown her nothing but genuine love, compassion, and caring since the day they met, and look how she repaid him. Every boy Wendy dated before Dipper was like Robbie; self-centered, arrogant, and possessive. But not Dipper. He put her up on a pedestal, made her feel special in a way no other boy had. But she cared more about her stupid image than she cared about his feelings.

"Let me guess," said a voice in the darkness. "Your boyfriend- he heard everything, didn't he?"

It was Tambry, emerging from the darkness of night from the direction of the mall, completely alone.

"How did you-?"

"Call it a lucky guess," Tambry replied. She sat down beside her red-haired friend.

"I had a feeling you liked him," Tambry proclaimed. "You've been wearing his hat ever since he left last summer."

Wendy brought her hand up to her forehead, where her fingers brushed against the brim of Dipper's blue-and-white pine-tree hat. He hadn't asked for it back. Now she felt really stupid… of course Tambry would suspect something. Wendy had no keepsakes from any of her old boyfriends, or any of her normal friends, for that matter.

"It doesn't seem weird to you?" Wendy asked her oldest friend.

"What seems weird to me is that you tried to hide it just to protect your rep," Tambry answered. "Given your track record, I didn't think you'd risk your relationship with Dipper for something so stupid."

"How do you even-?"

"You're not as good at hiding things as you might think," Tambry informed her. "Also, his sister's been texting me for the last three days. She told me everything."

At this revelation, Wendy's jaw hit the floor. "Wait- you and Mabel set me up!?"

"Yup," Tambry replied matter-of-factly. "I couldn't believe the kid when she told me- I thought you were better than that."

"I guess not…" Wendy lamented shamefully. "Dipper's right... I'm just as bad as any of the guys I broke up with. I cared more about myself than I did about him."

"You can still make it right," Tambry encouraged. "Go on home. Say whatever you need to say to get him to take you back. Don't think about your rep, or the guys, or whatever; make him your number one priority, and he'll give you a second chance."

"Dipper's not like other boys his age," Wendy argued. "He's mature enough to know he can do better than me. What makes you so sure he'll take me back?"

"That's the thing," Tambry retorted. "He is very mature- enough to know what he really wants; and he wants you. Even though you hurt him, the kid's still in love with you."

Tambry was right. Wendy was surprised that Tambry could be capable of such wisdom. Maybe there was more her seemingly mindless and constant texting than Wendy knew.

"Tambry… what are you really; some kind of online self-help guru or something?" Wendy inquired.

Tambry smirked back at her. "I'll text you the link to my blog; we'll talk about it later. Just go make up with your boyfriend, already."

Wendy stood up with the intention of doing just that; pausing for a moment to pick up her mom's cap, which had fallen out of her lap.

"By the way, I broke up with Robbie," Tambry told her friend. "I'm really sick of him teasing that kid."

* * *

It was an hour to midnight when Wendy's motorcycle pulled up in front of the Mystery Shack. She wondered if any of the others knew what she'd done yet; Stan would likely kick her out of his house if he knew what transpired at the pizza parlor.

But Stan wasn't awake; neither was anyone else, from the looks of it. The house was deserted, most of the lights were out… and the door was open, so Stan hadn't locked her out. Hopefully he wouldn't see any reason to in the future.

Wendy ran up the stairs to the attic, and found the bedroom door ajar. The light was on, and she could hear someone talking inside who sounded like Mabel. She probably knew everything before Dipper even got back, if Tambry was still spying for her.

"Dipper?"

Upon opening the door, Wendy saw Dipper lying in bed with his back to her, with Mabel sitting on the edge of the bed beside him, patting him on the back. The look on her face soured upon catching sight of Wendy in the doorway. It was almost enough to convince Wendy to turn around and leave Dipper be, lest she cause him more pain... but she had to say something to him. She had to fix this, one way or another.

"Mabel… can I talk to Dipper for a few minutes? In private?" Wendy asked tentatively. Mabel didn't answer, but hopped off the bed, walked up to the door and out into the hall. Wendy took that as a yes.

Wendy walked up to Dipper and took Mabel's seat on the side of the bed. "Dipper… will you talk to me, please?"

Reluctantly, Dipper rolled over and sat up. His eyes were still red from crying. Wendy would likely hate herself forever for what she'd done to him, whether the 13-year old gave her another chance or not.

"Dipper, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am," Wendy began. "You're the best friend I ever had… and I ruined it. I was stupid, and shallow, and selfish, and I'll never forgive myself for the way I treated you."

"That said… I'm wondering if there's anything I can say or do to convince you to give me another chance." Wendy knelt down beside the bed, took Dipper's hands in hers, and looked him in the eyes as she continued her apology.

"I don't want this to be the end for us," she told him truthfully. "I promise, I won't try to hide our relationship anymore- I don't care what anyone else thinks. I don't care if all my friends brand me a freak and never speak to me again- it won't matter, as long as I have you."

Wendy didn't care if she sounded desperate. She didn't care that she was a 16-year old girl, down on her knees begging a 13-year old boy to take her back. Wendy had her heart broken by so many jerky guys, and this time she was the one causing the heartbreak. She wanted to fix it. She didn't want Dipper to suffer as she had suffered. More than anything, she didn't want him to not lover her anymore- because he was the only boy Wendy ever felt actually did love her.

For a while, Dipper said nothing. He looked away from her.

"Why do you really want me back?" Dipper asked in a small voice. "Everyone thinks you're the coolest girl in town; you can have any boy you want. Or do you just need someone to poke fun at when they're not listening?"

"I never did that to you, and I never will," Wendy promised him. "And I've dated all the other guys in this town. They were all selfish possessive jerks. Not like you. You're different… you're very special to me."

Dipper rubbed his arm nervously as a hint of a smile began to creep it's way onto his face.

"Do you… really mean that?" He asked cautiously.

"I mean every word of it," Wendy replied. She moved in closer to him, tilted his head up with her forefinger, and looked him straight in his big, brown eyes.

"I love you, Dipper."

She sealed his lips with hers, kissing him long and deep like she'd never kissed anyone before. When she finally broke away, she asked him one last time: "Will you give me a second chance?"

Dipper looked her in the eye, and nodded, smiling at her. She smiled back and flung her arms around him.

* * *

Wendy decided to invite Dipper to spend the night in her room, so they could watch some cheesy old-timey horror flick, just like old times. He tentatively accepted, gathering his pillow and blankets before following her downstairs.

Once they were both settled, Wendy changed into her pajamas, then went down to the kitchen to make some popcorn for the two of them. She found a bag of microwaveable popcorn in the cabinet over the sink, tore off the plastic packaging, and turned to put it in the microwave- and froze as she came face-to-face with Mabel, looking strangely intimidating for a 13-year old girl in a purple nightshirt and magenta socks.

"I meant what I said back there," Wendy repeated to Mabel. "I'm not taking any of it back. Not ever."

Mabel did not look convinced.

"You just make sure you don't hurt my brother again," Mabel said to the older girl, then turned on her heel and marched back upstairs.

* * *

 **Author's Note : The moral of this story- or at least the last two chapters- is "don't get on Mabel's bad side". Remember what she did to that unicorn in "The Last Mabelcorn"? Wendy and Dipper may have made up for now, but I think Wendy is still going to have to earn back Mabel's trust... Anyway, I intend to move on from romance to mystery, action, and adventure for the next chapter. Also, I apologize for taking some liberties with Tambry's character; she's always been an unimportant side character, I thought it wouldn't hurt to flesh her out a little bit, seeing as she was Wendy's best friend before Dipper.**


	5. Mending Bonds

**Author's Notes : Sorry for not updating. Took me a while to figure out how to best tell this next part of the story. This chapter is a little shorter, but I wanted you guys to know that I'm not dead, and still writing. This chapter has a lot of Melody in it; I wanted to focus on her a bit now that she's part of the Mystery Shack crew. Let me know what you think!  
**

* * *

For Melody, living at the Mystery Shack took some getting used to.

She was thrilled when Soos told her that he'd been promoted to manager, albeit a little bit hesitant when he asked her if she could move down to Gravity Falls from her home in Portland to help him with running the place. It wasn't as though she didn't want to be closer to him... but she needed his reassurance that the Mystery Shack had zero animatronics before moving in.

Almost nine months after she'd joined Soos in running the Mystery Shack, Melody was feeling glad she was here. There was a lot more to this roadside attraction than fake taxidermy monsters and Soos's strange ambitions; it was a home for the merry band of misfits that Soos called his family; that wily old codger the children dubbed "Grunkle" Stan, his twin brother Ford, the mysterious six-fingered scientist who lived in the basement… that red-headed lumberjack girl Wendy, who seemed plenty ordinary on the surface… and then of course the delightfully eccentric Pines twins, Dipper and Mabel.

The misfits had banded together in this rickety old shack to form one big happy family in the middle of the woods. Melody had come to love her newly extended family as sure as they were her own flesh and blood, but sometimes she felt… out of place. A plain girl such as herself stuck out like a sore thumb in a town full of colorful people, especially in the Mystery Shack, where the residents were colorful enough to make the rest of Gravity Falls look monochrome.

That said, Melody had found a place here; seemed that the Shack and it's residents had a need for a compassionate, responsible, motherly figure to bring just a little bit of order to the normally chaotic environment… especially now, what with recent events.

Melody's wisdom had served to turn things around after Dipper and Mabel arrived; the deaths of their parents had hit them hard, and everyone else was grasping at straws trying to figure out how to bring them back from the brink when Melody brought to the table her simple solution.

Now, a new crisis had come to her attention- repairing the friendship between little Mabel and Dipper's girlfriend Wendy.

She knew all about it, of course; Melody talked to Dipper the morning after he'd returned home crying to check if he was alright… and Dipper assured her that all was well, telling her that Wendy apologized to him last night and that they'd gotten back together almost as quickly as they'd broken up.

Melody had to admit that she was impressed with Wendy; not many 16-year old girls could swallow their pride and admit they'd done wrong as she had, much less get down on their knees and beg for forgiveness at the feet of a 13-year old boy. Wendy's dramatic apology was a testament to her sincerity and her willingness to do the right thing no matter what… even if she'd initially slipped up.

Unfortunately, Mabel was much less impressed than Melody by Wendy's actions. Melody noticed the way Mabel glared at the older girl over breakfast in that _un-Mabel-ish_ way, the sparkle gone from her eyes and replaced with… a _hatred_ that was very unlike her.

Melody hated to see a rift form between two close friends, and so her duty was clear; she needed to patch things up between Mabel and Wendy, one way or another.

"Mabel? Can we talk for a bit?" Melody asked as she peeked in the attic bedroom one afternoon. Mabel sat on her bed, her pet pig Waddles at her side as she knitted a new sweater for herself- a purple one with a blue, ringed planet on it surrounded by glittery blue stars.

"Oh; hi Melody!" Mabel greeted cheerfully as she looked up. "Tell me… how is your _husband-to-be_ these days?"

"Soos? He's doing perfect, as always…" Melody replied, pulling up a chair next to the bed so she could sit beside the bubbly little girl.

"I, uh… was hoping I could talk to you about your friend, Wendy," Melody revealed. Mabel's expression turned right around, going from all smiles and sparkly eyes to an uncharacteristic scowl.

"Wendy is not my friend anymore," Mabel stated firmly, turning her focus back to her knitting.

"And why is that?" Melody inquired. "You seemed to get along pretty well before-"

"That was before she broke my brother's heart," Mabel replied.

"Okay…" Melody began, thinking carefully before she spoke, things being as delicate as they were. "You're angry for the way she treated Dipper; I understand that. She was being very selfish… but, she did apologize to your brother, and she ultimately did the right thing. Dipper forgave her… why can't you?"

Mabel put down her knitting needles for a moment; Melody waited patiently for her to answer, giving her that moment to think.

"I guess I can't forget what happened that night," Mabel finally answered. "Dipper hasn't cried like that since we were little kids; and I was the one who had to hold him when he told me that Wendy didn't love him anymore."

"She seems to want to make up for it," Melody supplied. Mabel shook her head in disbelief.

"No; you know what? I'm not going to run the risk of giving her the benefit of the doubt," Mabel told her. "I don't care if she told her friends the truth- I thought I knew her before, and look what happened. I need to keep my eyes open so it doesn't happen again."

"You love your brother a lot, don't you?" Melody suggested. Mabel nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Dipper's been like my best friend since the day we were born," Mabel confided in her. "Before we came to Gravity Falls, he was my only friend… I just don't want to see him hurt like that again."

Melody couldn't think of anything else to say… not that she was about to give up, mind you. There was a way to fix this; there had to be. Dipper, Mabel, and Wendy were her family now, and she couldn't bear to seen them divided like this.

If Mabel couldn't be persuaded to forgive, then there was someone else who might help her see the light; her beloved twin brother, Dipper.

* * *

"Don't ask me what to do," Dipper told Melody. "I tried to tell Mabel that she didn't have to be mad at Wendy anymore, but… she won't listen."

An hour later found Melody downstairs with Dipper, who was in the process of sweeping the floors of the gift shop while Soos saw to a group of tourists outside, showing them one of the Mystery Shack's most infamous attractions, the "Rock That Looks Like a Face-Rock".

"So, if the simple solution's been taken off the table…" Melody thought aloud. "Then maybe we should try something… unconventional."

"So is this the part where we turn to the supernatural to solve our problems?" Dipper asked. "I could probably look through the journal for some kind of alchemical solution-"

"Not that unconventional!" Melody insisted. "I mean, we should come up with a plan. Something to show Mabel that Wendy is sincere, or even just a way to get them to bond…"

"What do you three normally do for fun during the summer?" Melody asked him.

"Oh, you know… normal stuff. Sometimes we play video games, or watch movies together," Dipper recollected. "Oh, and every now and again we go on adventures and mystery hunts around town, or in the woods. Once, we went to a haunted convenience store; then there was the time we ran into a shapeshifter in a bunker out in the woods… oh, and there was this weird cult that used to hide in Gravity Falls History Museum."

"And… do you usually find ways to bond on these 'mystery hunts'?" Melody inquired further.

"Oh, yeah. Fighting through hundreds of gnomes or insane mind-erasing cultists is a great way to bring people closer together!" Dipper assured her.

"Then… maybe you should do that," Melody suggested tentatively. "Go on an adventure together; take Mabel and Wendy along, and… maybe they'll find a way to make up along the way?"

Truth be told, what Dipper was describing sounded completely nuts, never mind extremely dangerous. But if what Soos told her was true, the supernatural had a way of solving problems for this unconventional family… and if Melody believed everything else she'd heard, than the kids had weathered danger well in the past. If Melody was going to stick around, maybe it was something she'd have to embrace.

"We haven't gone on any real adventures since we got back, now that I think of it," Dipper went on to say. "Maybe this is the perfect time to get the Mystery Twins back together… so long as Mabel doesn't mind Wendy coming along."

"Speaking of which," Dipper continued. "Normally Soos comes with us on our adventures, but he's busy running the shack these days, so… would you want to come along?"

"Me?" Melody replied. "I, uh… I don't know. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"There's something big I've been wanting to look into since last summer," Dipper told her, pulling the journal from within his vest and flipping through the pages. "It'll be dangerous, but it might help us understand more about the strange properties of this town… and there's also something a little more personal I want to look into. So; do you wanna come, or what?"

Melody's first instinct was to say "no", and forbid Dipper from going on any dangerous adventures. Although, she was a little bit curious… and Melody had a feeling Dipper would go ahead with his plan even if she thought she could stop him. Maybe it was better that she tagged along just to make sure they all came back safe, if nothing else. Concerned as she might've been for the kids, Melody herself was not afraid of danger.

"Okay; I'm in."

* * *

Dipper spent the remainder of the night preparing for the next day's adventure; their first mystery hunt of the summer.

This was the opportunity the adventurous young boy had been hoping for since departing Gravity Falls the previous summer. Just a week before, on the same day Weirdmageddon began, his Great Uncle Ford asked his young admirer to accompany him on a mission, one that led them into the bowels of a crashed alien vessel, which had remained buried under Gravity Falls for millions of years without anyone realizing it… until Ford came along to investigate the town's strange properties roughly 30 years prior.

Their journey had lasted but a few hours, but it'd been harrowing nonetheless; the initial discovery of the giant UFO under the town was exciting enough, but then there was the encounter with those security droids, and Dipper's desperate and reckless attempts to rescue his great uncle from an alien prison drone. Unfortunately, what came after diminished any pride in what they accomplished that day, as Mabel realized Dipper's intentions of abandoning her to become Ford's apprentice before running off into the woods with his backpack containing the interdimensional rift… and then of the course the rest was history.

But among Dipper's memories from their exploration of the alien craft, one thing stood out- in the hangar where they found the automated prison droids, right before one of those vessels took off with Great Uncle Ford, a map was displayed of it's destination… an unknown world in a distant star system, hidden somewhere in the depths of the Ursa Major star cluster.

 _Ursa Major…_ more commonly known as the Big Dipper.

The very same constellation branded on Dipper's forehead as a birthmark, the one he'd been teased for as a little boy, and the origin of his peculiar nickname.

Dipper often looked in the mirror, comparing the positions of the dots on his forehead and the adjoining lines to maps of the Ursa Major constellation he'd found in books, or otherwise online… the symmetry between the his birthmark and the maps of Ursa Major was flawless.

Now, Dipper had begun to think it meant something. He'd carried these markings since he first came into this world… and almost 13 years to the day after, he explored a crashed UFO that originated from the same star cluster that was his namesake. That couldn't just be a coincidence… there was some kind of connection, he was sure of it; and tomorrow, he'd take the first step in discovering just what that connection was.

Ever eager to share his theories and ideas regarding all things supernatural or extraterrestrial, Dipper sought someone to confide in- Ford was too busy with his own research nowadays to be bothered, Wendy was sound asleep at that hour, and Stan simply didn't care… so, Dipper decided to share his theories with his dearest sister Mabel.

Mabel, as always, thought he was crazy.

"What exactly does any of this even mean?" She asked her brother with more annoyance than curiosity; it was 10:00 o'clock at night, at which time the siblings would normally be asleep… but Dipper was staying up late, pouring over his notes and thumbing through the journal as he compiled all available information he had on the downed UFO.

"You think you were born on another planet?" Mabel inquired mockingly.

"More or less," Dipper replied in ignorance of his sister's mocking tone.

"I may have been born here on Earth, but my DNA might've come from elsewhere," he theorized. "My guess is that I was somehow implanted with an alien genome while in the womb that caused me to have this birthmark… but if I'm right, the question remains; why? What's the purpose of the genome, and how was I implanted? Do you think mom could've been abducted by aliens while she was pregnant with us? Darn it, I should've asked her when I had the chance; if she ever had any strange experiences that could amount to an alien visitation…"

Mabel was only half-listening as she lay in bed, facing the wall and resisting the urge to clamp a pillow over her ears; she really wanted to just go to bed, but until Dipper decided to quit being a dork for the night, she'd have to contend with his shuffling papers and talking to himself.

"Dipper," Mabel pleaded, rolling over so Dipper could see the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. "Could you please go to sleep now? If you keep this up, I'm going to be too tired to do any nerd stuff tomorrow."

Dipper sighed in defeat; his sister did have a point. He needed all of them alert and prepared before they ventured back into the crash site… especially after what happen last time. With that in mind, he took the journal and all his notes and crammed them back into the bookshelf across the room.

"You're okay with Wendy coming with us tomorrow, right?" Dipper asked as he crawled into bed.

"Hmph," Mabel grunted in reply. Dipper knew she was still angry at Wendy, and nothing he'd said could convince his sister to let go of her grudge. His only hope was that they would bond tomorrow during the course of their mystery hunt.

"Can you at least try to get along with her?" Dipper begged of her. "I forgave Wendy for what she did, and I need everyone to be cool and work together once we get inside that saucer. Can you do that?"

"Fine," Mabel conceded. "I don't understand why we need to bring her. We usually do okay on our own."

"Because Wendy's resourceful, smart, and brave, she's got an axe… and she happens to be my girlfriend," Dipper supplied.

"Whatever," Mabel sighed, rolling back over as to go back to sleep. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Dipper replied, switching off the gas lamp on their bedside table.

Things would get better tomorrow. They had to, eventually… it wasn't like Mabel to stay mad at someone forever.

* * *

Preparations for the day's adventure began early in the morning, just outside the gift shop of the Mystery Shack. Mabel was dressed for the occasion, having knitted a brand new purple sweater adorned with a glow-in-the-dark ringed planet and spangled with stars, and matched with a red skirt and sneakers. In the backpack slung over her shoulder, she carried her trusty grappling hook, plus her book of stickers and scrapbook.

Wendy dressed in her usual flannel shirt, jeans, and muddy logging boots with Dipper's hat perched on her head and an axe tucked in her belt. For Melody, this being her first adventure with the kids, wasn't sure how to prepare… she'd dressed herself in a safari jacked, ball cap, khaki shorts and boots, and armed herself with a stun gun as well as a disposable camera. Looking at herself in the mirror before coming out, Melody felt she looked more like a tourist than an adventurer.

"Next time I'll bring along my grandpa's old elephant gun," Melody told the other girls. "Just in case we run into zombies, or ghouls, or… whatever you usually deal with on these adventures."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Wendy replied. "Out here, you're liable to cross paths with gnomes, dinosaurs, giant robots…"

"There really is no end to the weirdness in Gravity Falls," Wendy continued. "Even with everything we've seen, there are still some things we have trouble believing. Right, Mabel?"

Mabel didn't answer that question, choosing to feign deafness instead. Wendy frowned; Mabel definitely wasn't going to bond with her over casual conversation, that much was certain. Wendy knew Dipper was hoping for them to smooth things over during this trip, but Wendy couldn't see how that was going to happen so long as Mabel was pretending she didn't exist.

Speaking of Dipper, they were all waiting on him. Said he had to get a few things from Great Uncle Ford before dashing back inside.

They'd only waited twenty minutes before Dipper returned, backpack slung over his shoulder and the journal tucked under his arm. He'd gone back to wearing his old black vest, red shirt, and grey shorts, though he still wore Wendy's hat.

"Okay, everyone," was how he announced his presence. "Gather 'round and listen up."

Dipper opened up the journal for all to see, showing them a diagram of a flying saucer. "This is what we're looking for; an alien spacecraft that crashed here in Gravity Falls millions of years ago."

"Ford and I explored some of it at the end of last summer, but given what happened after…" he trailed off. "Anyway; now's our chance to dig deep into the mystery; find out where the saucer came from, what made it come here in the first place, and what the connection is between the aliens and the weirdness in Gravity Falls."

"Also to prove or disprove Dipper's theory that he was implanted by aliens as a baby," Mabel added, causing everyone assembled to laugh and reddening Dipper's face.

"Quick question," Melody interjected once she'd stopped laughing. "Is this spaceship at all, in any way dangerous?"

"As a matter of fact, some of the old security systems still work," Dipper answered; he turned the pages of the journal until he found Ford's notes on the alien security droids, then held it up for all to see.

"This is an alien security droid," Dipper explained. "They guard the ship's storage facility and lower decks. They carry blasters, but the way they work is they detect adrenaline- if you see one of them, you just have to not be afraid, and they won't see you."

"So… just play it cool?" Wendy supplied.

"Exactly," Dipper affirmed. "Just play it cool… but we shouldn't be running into any of these droids, since we'll be searching around the upper decks and the bridge."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Melody inquired.

"This," Dipper replied, showing them yet another page from the journal; this was a diagram of something none of them had seen before, even Dipper. It looked like a three-dimensional hexagon covered in alien glyphs, which according to the dimensions, was about the size of a soccer ball.

"This is an alien data core," Dipper elaborated. "These contain everything from star charts to crew and cargo manifests. If we can find it, and bring it back to Ford, it could tell us everything we need to know about these extra-terrestrials."

"Now, before we go everyone needs to take a magnet gun," Dipper insisted, opening his backpack and showing them the contents. In addition to his usual supply of notebooks and pens as well as the shrink ray, Dipper had packed four of Great Uncle Ford's magnet guns. Each reached inside to take one, as Dipper took the last for himself and stowed it in his vest.

"Be careful with those," Dipper warned. "Great Uncle Ford says they can rip the fillings out of a person's mouth from a hundred feet away."

"Now I'm really glad I got my braces removed," said Mabel, turning the magnet gun over in her hands. To test it, she pointed it at the Mystery Shack's weathervane and held the trigger, causing it to spin rapidly to the point where it flew off the roof like a helicopter.

The next few minutes were spent with Dipper showing them all how to operate the magnet guns; how to turn them on, and how to switch between positive and negative charges. There was a minor mishap where Melody pointed her gun at the golf cart, which flipped over on it's side upon activating the high-powered magnets, but other than that, Dipper was satisfied that his friends knew how to use them.

"Alright then… everyone ready?" Dipper asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be…" Melody replied tentatively.

"Let's go already!" Wendy insisted zealously.

"Enough standing around!" Mabel added enthusiastically.

"Perfect; Mystery Twins, plus Wendy and Melody- move out!"

With that, they set off into the woods, Dipper taking the lead as the four friends went in search of adventure.

* * *

 **Author's Notes : Did anyone else notice the Big Dipper in the scene where the prison droid is about to take off with Ford in "Dipper and Mabel Vs. The Future"? I thought it was very curious that the alien ship is from the same constellation branded on Dipper's forehead. I've been wanting to explore the idea of there being a connection between Dipper and the aliens... what might that connection be, you ask. Stick around for the next chapter, and you might find out.**


	6. Close Encounter

**Author's Note : Sorry about the wait. This chapter's actually been more or less done for a while now, only I'm not too proud of it... I'm not the best at writing action scenes, so this one gave me a bit of difficulty. If you have any critique to offer on this chapter, I could really use it. Read and review.**

* * *

Dipper and Mabel's mystery hunts were rarely so organized, and rarely did the twins venture into the woods with adult supervision. Ever since Dipper discovered the first of Stanford Pine's journals, the mysteries usually came to them, and so insatiable curiosity would drive them to seek answers in a town full of questions.

Melody was beginning to feel that spark of curiosity herself; listening to Dipper go on about aliens as though they were more than just some wacko conspiracy theory, she'd might've thought they were just playing pretend if she hadn't already witnessed Gravity Falls' weirdness for herself- the encounter with killer animatronics and a psychotic, sentient dating sim character at Hoo-Ha Owl's Pizzamatronic Jamboree was something she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

And now, because surviving a murderous animatronics kid's show wasn't enough for one lifetime, she was to delve into the wreckage of a crashed alien spaceship on an expedition led by a cadre of eccentric teenagers. Wonderful.

 _Soos has lived in this town with all the weirdness his whole life,_ Melody thought to herself. _If he can handle it, so can you. Keep it together, Melody._

The hike through the woods took them about an hour, leading them from the Mystery Shack to the hills overlooking the town. The top of the hill presented an incredible view of the entire valley, and the distant cliffs joined by an old railway bridge, and the peculiar claw shape which made it look as though the mountain were hovering in midair- probably why the locals called them the "Floating Cliffs".

"This is it," Dipper announced, coming to a halt beside a rock at the top of the hill.

Melody took a look at their surroundings, but saw nothing but forest and mountains for miles- no sign of any crashed alien spaceships. Privately, she wondered if this particular adventure was indeed make-pretend.

"Um… where did you say this flying saucer was supposed to be?" Melody inquired.

"I don't think I did, actually," Dipper retorted. "Like Great Uncle Ford says; sometimes the strangest things are right under our noses."

Dipper then turned and placed both of his hands against the lone rock upon the hilltop, and pushed; when it failed to budge, Wendy walked up to lend a hand, and together they pushed it aside- revealing a metal plate with strange engravings upon the surface, embedded into the grass.

It was then that Melody realized why she couldn't see the UFO; it was right under her feet, so heavily overgrown that she'd mistaken it for an ordinary hill. But the hill's edges were much too rounded, too symmetrical to have formed naturally… and amid the patches of grass, her eyes caught the occasional glint of silvery metal, just barely visible beneath millennia of overgrowth.

Dipper dislodged the metal plate by reversing the polarity of his magnet gun, revealing a chute that lead deep inside the craft; someone had left an old rope ladder as a means to climb down. Dipper was the first to step down, followed closely by Wendy, then Mabel, and finally- with trepidation- Melody.

* * *

Inside the derelict vessel, the air was thin and smelled of mold. It didn't help that Melody was slightly claustrophobic as she followed the teens through the cramped, darkened corridors, ducking under cobwebs and stepping over the skeletal remains of the alien crew; a ghastly sight that sent a shiver down her spine upon first catching glimpse of the bones of crewman, still wearing it's space helmet and hunched over a console. Having remembered Dipper mentioning security drones, Melody nearly had a heart attack when she inadvertently stepped on a bone, snapping it in half with loud _crack!;_ after this, couldn't help but glance over her shoulder every few steps, half-expecting one of the alien orbs to appear behind her, fearing that disturbing the remains might elicit a response.

But their journey through the downed saucer was met with little incident, aside from when the first entered- that old ladder wasn't very sturdy, as Mabel found out when a rung gave under her feet as she descended, causing her to cry out in alarm as she lost her grip and plunged towards the landing below- only to be saved by Wendy, who caught the younger girl by the collar as she fell, saving her from what would've been a fatal fall.

It put a damper on everyone's spirits when Mabel didn't even thank Wendy for saving her; if this trip was to mend their friendship, it was off to disappointing start.

Dipper distracted himself by focusing on the task at hand. Using a map of saucer's interior drawn up by Ford, he guided his friends towards the command deck, where he hoped to find an intact alien data core. Getting there was not to be easy, as many of the passages had collapsed or were otherwise blocked by doors that would not be pried open. Several times the group found itself at a dead end, forced to wait while Dipper searched the journal for a way around.

Eventually, they found themselves in the crew quarters, in one of the common rooms. With several corridors branching from this chamber, and no idea of which would lead them to their goal, Dipper decided then that everyone should take a break while he consulted the journal for a way out of this maze.

There was an arrangement of circular benches around a table in the middle of the common room, at which Wendy and Melody sat down to rest their feet. Dipper and Mabel took a seat across from them, the former with his nose buried in the journal as he attempted to make sense of Ford's maps, the latter simply glaring in Wendy's direction.

"It's too bad Soos couldn't come along," Wendy expressed. "He would go nuts for this sort of thing; you know… exploring a crashed alien ship."

"Believe me, I know," Melody replied. "I didn't want to tell him exactly where we were going… the look on his face when I told him I was going on an adventure with you guys in his stead was, just… heartbreaking."

"Maybe we can bring him back a souvenir? Something he can use for a new attraction; that might make him feel better," Wendy suggested.

"Like what?" Melody asked.

"Could always bring him back one of those alien skeletons… only I can't figure how we'd be able to carry one of them up the ladder…"

As Wendy and Melody chatted amiably, Dipper was finding it difficult to focus on the journal- not because they were being too loud, but rather that Mabel's unnatural silence and stone-cold glare was more deafening than if someone set of an air horn next to his ear.

"Mabel?" Dipper coerced. She ignored him, keeping her arms folded and her eyes focused on the two women.

"Mabel? Are you still with me?" Dipper asked again, gently nudging her shoulder.

"What?" Mabel replied in confusion; she'd retreated so far into the realms of her own mind that she hadn't noticed Dipper speak to her.

"What's up with you?" Dipper asked his sister. "Why are you constantly glaring at Wendy?"

"I'm keeping an eye on her," Mabel answered.

"Why? You think she's going to turn out to be the shapeshifter again, or…?"

"She might as well be the shapeshifter," Mabel snapped. "I've learned that there two sides to Wendy's personality; _'Cool Wendy',_ and uh… _'Not Cool Wendy'!"_

"What the heck does that even mean?" Dipper inquired. Mabel was being ridiculous; he'd never known Mabel to hold a grudge against anyone, not even Pacifica Northwest back when she was picking on her. Dipper had been the one to push Mabel to settle that score, first through exposing the Northwest family conspiracy… and later through a mini-golf tournament before Mabel decided that _"rivalries were dumb"._

"Why didn't you thank Wendy earlier? For saving you?" Dipper demanded. "If she hadn't caught you, you could've been killed!"

At the mention of this, Mabel tensed up a little, turning her head to hide what Dipper assumed was a hint of guilt.

"Look, Dipper…" Mabel began. "I know why you really wanted to go on this trip, okay? But I'm not ready to be friends with Wendy again just yet. Not after what she did to you."

"But I forgave her!" Dipper asserted. "You've always been the one forgive and forget; when did we suddenly switch places!?"

"Just- let it go, Dipper…" Mabel asked of her brother. "Have you figured out where we're going yet?"

Dipper sighed, then hopped down off the bench.

"Okay, listen up everyone!" Dipper announced. Melody and Wendy ceased their conversation as to turn focus on Dipper.

"Looking at the journal, the only way to get to the bridge from here is through some kind of maintenance duct that runs below this deck," he told everyone. "There's an access hatch right over there-" (he pointed out a circular panel on the floor nearby)- "We have to be careful when we go down there; according to Ford's notes, security droids patrol those ducts. So keep your eyes open, but stay calm."

The girls nodded in affirmation, equipping their magnet guns as a precaution while Dipper used his to pry open the hatch.

The maintenance tunnels certainly looked like they were meant to be used by the security droids, rather than the crew; the perfectly round tunnel was just barely high enough for them to stand up in, and was divided into segmented panels that could be removed to operate on the delicate circuitry underneath. They followed this tunnel for what felt like another twenty minutes until they came to another hatch, which Dipper blasted open with his magnet gun before clambering up.

"This is it!" He yelled triumphantly. "Everyone, get up here! We found it!"

The command deck was a domed chamber with a raised platform in the center, suspended above a nest of sorts; the skeletons of several aliens were to be found here, slumped over before the defunct consoles where they'd perished millions of years ago. Dipper paid them no mind, for he was drawn to the sight above the platform- a holographic map of the Big Dipper- and right beneath it, his prize; the alien data core sitting in it's cradle below the map... and protected by a blue force field.

 _"That's it!"_ Dipper shouted. He darted up from the hatch and ascended the ramp to where the core lay.

"How do we get it out of there?" Mabel asked, coming up beside her brother.

"There must be a way to turn off this force field…" Dipper pondered, his eyes scanning the room for some kind of switch or control panel that could remove this last obstacle.

"I know what to do," Wendy supplied, drawing her magnet gun. "Stand back."

They should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Wendy turned the dial on the back of the magnet gun, toggling the EM pulse before leveling it at the shielded data core and pulling the trigger. At first, her idea seemed to work; the magnet gun caused the force field to burst, allowing Dipper to scoop the core from it's cradle and stow it in his backpack.

Mission supposedly accomplished, the group turned to leave- that was when Dipper heard it; the familiar, warbling tone that announced the presence of a security droid.

Sure enough, the doors to the bridge hissed open, and not one- not two- not even three, but eight alien orbs floated onto the bridge. The orbs encircled the group of friends, cutting off their escape route.

"Nobody move!" Dipper whispered to his friends. "Just remember to stay clam- don't be afraid, and they won't be able to see you-"

"Can they see that thing?" Mabel suggested, pointing at the data core sitting in Dipper's pack. Dipper quickly zipped it up and threw it back over his shoulder, but one of the droids had seen him.

This droid was different than the others; it's hull was tinted jet-black instead of silver, like some kind of elite or command unit. Dipper saw it's triangular red eye flash, and he knew the droid was scanning him. He took a deep breath in an attempt to settle his nerves, hoping the droid wouldn't detect how scared he actually was… or the stolen data core he'd just hidden in his pack.

For the longest time, the droid didn't move. It remained where it was, hovering just a foot off the ground, it's gleaming black surface just inches from Dipper's face. The teenager could see his reflection, wearing a mask of fearlessness even as he began to perspire in the face of such danger.

Melody could see what was going on; that orb knew Dipper had stolen the data core. It was probably waiting for him to give it back.

"Dipper, it knows you have it…" Melody whispered. "Just give it back, maybe they'll let us leave…"

"I can't!" Dipper replied through gritted teeth. "Do you want us to have come all this way for nothing!?"

"I want us to make it home in one piece!" Melody replied urgently.

"Leave that to me," Wendy whispered next to her, showing Melody a devious smirk.

 _"Hey, 8-Ball!"_ Wendy shouted at the orb; the droid finally broke it's gaze with Dipper, turning it's attention to the other intruder. Wendy pointed her magnet gun at the command droid, and fired- the shot connected, and droid's shelled rippled with electricity as it's systems overloaded, causing it's repulsors to malfunction and send it spiraling into the wall.

The other droids detected the threat and prepared to fire their weapons, but Wendy was faster- she fired a second shot, then a third, then a fourth, and three more droids went down.

Wendy charged at a fifth droid, which fired at her and missed; she stood up behind it, and the three remaining orbs shot in her general direction, striking the one she'd ducked behind, which promptly fell to the floor and rolled away, several holes burned through it's chassis.

 _"RUN!"_ Wendy shouted.

Everyone scattered- but in the chaos, they forgot that the only way back to the exit was through the maintenance hatch- and so they ran through the doors that the droids had opened. Melody followed Dipper though one tunnel while Wendy took off after Mabel, who'd gone down another.

By then, the command droid had recovered from Wendy's attack; it reengaged it's repulsorlifts and hovered back up off the floor. Around it, the other disabled droids got back up as well, all except the one Wendy had tricked them into shooting at, which was permanently damaged.

They gave pursuit, with the command unit taking three regulars in pursuit of Dipper and Melody, while the other three took off after Mabel and Wendy.

Wendy saw that they were being chased and began firing her magnet gun wildly back at their pursuers. At the same time, she tried to keep her eyes on Mabel, who had a good head start on her.

"Mabel! Where are you going!?" Wendy shouted at her.

"I don't know! What happened to Dipper!?"

"They took another tunnel!" Wendy replied as she caught up with the girl. The orbs were still behind them, and gaining fast.

"Let's just find Dipper and Melody, and get out of here!" Wendy insisted.

He two girls took a right at a T-section ahead of them, hoping it would bring them closer to their friends, who'd taken a door on the right side of the bridge.

Elsewhere on the ship, Dipper remembered too late that all the corridors leading from the entrance to the bridge were blocked. As such, he and Melody found themselves running into one dead end after another, doors that wouldn't open or were otherwise blocked by debris.

"Dipper, please! Just give them back the cube; maybe they'll leave us alone!" Melody pleaded with the teenager as they continued to flee.

"It's too late for that; they've already marked us as a threat!" Dipper retorted. Cursing their luck, Melody stopped and rounded on their pursuers, taking aim with her magnet gun. She fired, striking one of the orbs and knocking it down once again-

-Only for one of the others to open up, the halves of it's spherical frame parting like a clamshell, revealing a mass of metal cables that lashed out at her. Melody fired back at it, but missed, and the metal tendrils wrapped around her wrists and ankles.

Melody cried out in alarm as the droid reeled her in like a fish, imprisoning her with it's shell, which had turned translucent. Desperately, she pounded her fists at the inside of the orb, but the material was much less fragile than it looked, and would not yield.

 _"Melody, no!"_ Dipper cried out, pointing his magnet gun at the orb; in that moment, he let his guard down, forgetting that there were still two more droids following them. They quickly caught up, coming to hover on either side of the droid that held Melody; surprised, Dipper panicked, shifting his aim between the three orbs. Before his frantic mind could decide which one to shoot, the black command orb opened up as well, grappling the teenage boy with it's metal tendrils and pulling him in just as it had Melody. Dipper's magnet gun clattered to the floor as he struggled in vain to fight the tentacle's grip.

 _"Dipper!"_

From inside the orb, Dipper looked up. Mabel and Wendy were at the far end of the hall; upon seeing their friends captured, both girls began firing wildly at the security orbs. Neither managed to hit anything, and Wendy's magnet gun eventually overheated, causing her to drop it as it burned her hand- and in that moment, the last two orbs came up behind them and scooped them up just like their friends.

Satisfied that the intruders were contained, the orbs convened and set off down the hall towards the brig, the screams of their captives echoing through the halls as they were carried off to their doom.

* * *

All things considered, it could've been a lot worse.

Dipper expected the droids to take them straight to the hangar for transport to the alien homeworld, like they'd done with Ford. Instead, the three teens and Melody were dropped off in a jail complex adjacent to the hangar.

Dipper could see why as they drifted through the docking area- the automated prison droids he'd seen before were damaged. It looked as though someone- probably Ford- had been down here recently, cracked open the hulls, and stripped them for parts. Sure enough, Dipper noticed a toolbox had been left at the base of the wall- along with something else. An old, familiar laptop, abandoned by it's owner next to the toolbox.

 _McGucket,_ Dipper thought. What had he been doing down here? The old hillbilly, who was actually a brilliant mechanic and scientist, was no where in sight. The crazy old man wasn't in any of the prison cells, so either he was off exploring another part of the ship, or he'd just left and forgotten his things.

The four humans were sorted into separate cells; for some reason, Dipper was placed in a cell all by himself. The command droid made no effort to reclaim the data core from his backpack, nor did it confiscate any other their possessions. It simply dumped him in the first cell, then Melody in the one next to him, and finally Mabel and Wendy were deposited in the third. Force fields activated to keep them in, and the security droids left them- all except the command droid, which sealed itself inside Dipper's cell, not taking it's eye off the young boy.

"Mabel? Wendy? Melody- are you guys alright? Do any of you still have your magnet guns?" Dipper called out.

"I dropped mine!" Melody shouted back.

"Me too…" Wendy groaned, nursing her burnt hand. The skin of her palm had reddened and stung painfully as a result of the gun overheating, but it wasn't too serious. Mostly it just hurt.

"Mabel, do you still have your magnet?" Wendy asked. Mabel just shook her head, sat down, and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I probably shouldn't have fried the force field like that," Wendy thought aloud. "That's probably what tripped the security systems."

Mabel said nothing. Privately, she thought that the older girl was right; and that made it her fault they were now stuck in this cell together. Perfect.

Wendy immediately set about checking over every inch of this shared space, looking for a way out- a ventilation duck, or something she could pry open, a control panel she could hotwire, anything- but there was nothing. They were stuck, for the time being. Maybe Stan and Ford would come looking for them once they realized they were missing… if they even knew where their kids had gone.

In the meantime, Wendy really hoped the orbs had no way of repairing those prison droids.

* * *

They were to remain trapped in the brig for hours. What little sunlight filtered in through the launch tube in the shuttle bay quickly began to fade, and Wendy assumed night had fallen.

All alone in his cell save for the orb, Dipper was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable as it continued to focus on him. He could see the other cells across from his- neither Melody, nor Wendy and Mabel had the orbs watching them. The others had all gone… only this one command unit remained behind to stare at him for hours on end.

Dipper, seeing few options for getting out, attempted to offer the orb the stolen data core- but it didn't even acknowledge Dipper having it in his hands, as he held it out in the hopes it would take it and release them.

This orb had piqued Dipper's curiosity; it was a different color than the others, and for some reason it was interested in him. Why?

He decided to consult Ford's journal again, which he thankfully still had in his backpack. He found the page on alien security orbs, checking it with the blacklight to see if there was anything written in invisible ink, but there wasn't; Ford didn't need to write in invisible ink anymore, not since he didn't have to worry about keeping things hidden from Bill.

Upon turning the page though, Dipper found something promising; a picture of another orb, only Ford had shaded this one in with his pen, as though to represent a darker color… like the jet-black orb currently hovering over him?

The page was headed "The Courser".

"'The Courser'?" Dipper read aloud. He took another glance up at the command droid- what he now assumed was actually this "Courser"- and then looked back to Ford's notes, and began to read.

 _ **Coursers-** Modified security droids built for the purpose of locating and retrieving unique or unusual specimens from alien worlds. Seems to possess more sophisticated AI than normal drones, as well as multi-tools for repairing automated shuttles and more advanced life-support systems to sustain captives over much longer periods of time. Found seven Coursers on board crashed UFO; one in stasis, others heavily damaged, seem defunct. Accessing dormant Courser's protocols revealed primary directive- locate and secure one "Subject 618". Cannot determine who or what Subject 618 is._

Below this paragraph was a drawing of the Big Dipper, and written underneath that was "Subject 618". As he put two and two together, Dipper found his hand drifting towards the brand on his forehead…

* * *

Across the way, Melody had curled up in the corner of her cell, occasionally getting back up to anxiously pace the floor before sitting back down. Mabel and Wendy sat on opposite sides of their cell, with Mabel trying to avoid looking at her former friend.

"This is stupid," Wendy snapped in frustration. "We can't just sit here; we need to find a way out of this dungeon!"

Mabel said nothing, choosing to ignore her as always. Her silent treatment was becoming increasingly frustrating under the circumstances.

"Mabel, please; can't you stop being mad at me just long enough for us to figure out a way to escape? We need to work together if we want to get out of this!" Wendy asserted.

"What am I supposed to do?" Mabel retorted.

"I don't know, just… help me think! If we put our heads together, we could figure something out…" Wendy said to her with a hint of desperation.

"Well, I got nothing," Mabel replied.

Wendy gave an exasperated sigh. "I get it; you're still mad at me. But don't you think you can forget that for a second, given the circumstance?"

"No," Mabel replied bluntly.

"Come on!" Wendy urged. "I did a bad thing; I know that, alright? I'm going to have to live with the guilt for probably the rest of my teen years, if not the rest of my life- and that's without you reminding me of it every chance you get!"

Wendy couldn't help it. She was angry enough at herself as it was; but she was getting tired really tired of Mabel, glaring at her every time she saw her with Dipper, refusing to talk to her… it wasn't just that Mabel wouldn't leave her alone; this girl used to be her friend. Mabel was almost as important to Wendy as Dipper; she'd always felt closer to the twins than any of her other friends. Mabel had a wonderful personality… she was sweet and kind, and unpredictable and funny; and it made Wendy feel that much worse to think that Mabel hated her.

"You hurt Dipper really badly that night," Mabel reminded her.

"I know!" Wendy replied. "But I know what's most important to me now, and it's not my stupid image; Dipper is the most important thing, and I'm trying to make up for not realizing that sooner."

Mabel's heart softened a bit at Wendy's words. She was starting to feel just a little bit guilty for not offering Wendy the benefit of the doubt, now that she was starting to sound truly sincere.

"It's just… Dipper's my brother," Mabel explained. "I want him to be happy… and I'm not sure if he can be happy with a girl who can't be seen in public with him."

"It's not like that anymore," Wendy repeated.

"But what happens when we start school this year?" Mabel inquired. "When you're around all those other kids? Are you going to try and hide it from them?"

"No," Wendy said instantly. "I don't care what anyone else thinks, I will never do that to Dipper again… you have my word."

Mabel remained silent. She was almost certain Wendy was being honest with her, but still… she couldn't help but be a little wary. Dipper was her brother, after all. He'd always looked out for her. Mabel, in turn, felt she needed to look out for him, especially now that they were going through their awkward teen years together… and since Dipper's first girlfriend had already proven herself less than 100% percent trustworthy.

"Come on, Mabel," Wendy pleaded. "You and I used to be friends… and I don't want you to hate me anymore, especially if we end up being stuck down here forever."

For the first time in days, Mabel smiled up at the older girl.

"I don't hate you," Mabel told Wendy. "I mean, I was really angry with you after what you did to Dipper… but 'hate' isn't in my dictionary. You know that."

"What about that chocolate with the white powdery stuff on top? Didn't you say you hate that stuff?" Wendy pointed out.

Mabel laughed. "Well, maybe there are some exceptions…"

"So… friends?" Wendy asked tentatively, offering her hand. Mabel took her hand and shook it.

"Friends," she replied. Wendy cringed as she took it, as the burn on her palm was still stinging.

"Here… let me help you with that," Mabel replied, noticing Wendy's burned hand. She took off her backpack, fished around a bit, then stopped; Wendy raised an eyebrow as Mabel's face reddened, and slowly she pulled out a small, dark object.

"Oops…"

It was a magnet gun. Mabel, it seemed, had stowed it in her backpack at some point and forgotten all about it. Wendy stared at the gun, dumbfounded that Mabel could've had it the entire time and not realized it.

"Well… looks like we just found our ticket to freedom," Wendy observed.

"Want me to bandage your hand first?" Mabel asked.

"I'd appreciate that," Wendy answered, her palm still stinging painfully.

* * *

The Courser never knew what hit it. It was so focused on Dipper that it didn't even have time to signal the other security droids before it was hit by a magnetic pulse from behind. To insure that it didn't get back up this time, Wendy pried the droid open and fired a few more shots into it's innards, frying the alien machine for good… or so she hoped.

From there, it was easy enough to find their way back to the bridge, through the maintenance ducts, and back up the ladder to the hilltop. They all stopped to flop down on the grass and take in a breath of fresh air, relieved to have escaped from what seemed like an impossible situation. It was a beautiful night, with cloudless skies studded with stars, and a comforting summer breeze blew through the woods as the group hiked back to the Mystery Shack.

It was 9:00 PM when they walked in to the Gift Shop. None were more relieved to be back than Melody; the killer animatronics at the mall were one thing, but this… this experience had been something else.

"Well, you're probably scarred for life," Wendy suggested upon noticing Melody's dilemma; the woman was leaning on the counter for support, taking deep and even breaths in an effort to calm her heart from thumping painfully in her chest.

"Might I suggest you take a few hours to stare at a wall, and rethink everything?" Wendy added, mildly amused.

"Is this considered normal for this town?" Melody asked.

"More or less," Wendy replied. "Truth be told, I've only been dealing with this as of last summer. It's a long story…"

"Spare me, please," Melody implored. She'd just about had enough weirdness for one day. Maybe Wendy's suggestion of staring at a wall and rethinking her perception of reality wasn't such a bad idea.

"What about you and Mabel?" Melody asked. She'd taken notice of Wendy's right hand, which she'd seen Mabel bandaging earlier while they were trapped. "Are you guys… okay?"

"I think we will be," Wendy answered.

Well, there was some good news. Wendy and Mabel were on the road to restoring their friendship and trust in one another… and all it took was a harrowing and dangerous adventure through a derelict alien spacecraft to do it. And Dipper had gotten his alien space-core-thingy, which he'd eagerly taken downstairs to show his Great Uncle Ford. All in all… not a bad day, or… at least, it could've been much worse.

Soos was already asleep when Melody walked into the bedroom she shared with her fiancé. Not wanting to wake him, Melody changed into her nightgown as quietly as she could and carefully slipped under the covers beside… but Soos, being a light sleeper, snorted awake all the same, despite her best efforts.

"Melody?" Soos asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "When did you get back?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Melody told him. "Were you worried about me?"

"A little, but… not too much. I figured Dipper and Mabel would bring you home safe," Soos answered.

"You seriously entrusted my safety to a couple of 13-year olds?" Melody replied in disbelief.

"Well… sure. Those dudes are my friends… and, you know; they've saved my butt a couple times before. I figured you were in good hands," Soos explained to his bride-to-be, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"You weren't wrong," Melody informed him.

"So… how was your first adventure in Gravity Falls? On a scale of one to ten- 1 being boring, anything over 10 being too much," Soos asked her.

"Let's just say I'm all adventured out for a while," Melody answered.

"Anything bad happen?"

"I'll tell you all about it in the morning sweetie," she replied. "But right now… I really need some sleep."

Soos merely shrugged, giving his girlfriend a peck on the cheek before allowing himself to fall back on his pillow and drift off to sleep. Melody had a little bit of trouble getting herself to sleep that night… for a few hours, she just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, going over the day's events in her head, remembering every vivid, pulse-pounding detail. Being attacked by alien security robots had shaken her up, to put it lightly.

 _"Welcome to Gravity Falls,"_ Melody whispered to herself. The days events had tired her; her ankles were sore from running, and her energy was drained enough that she finally was able to rollover in her spot and close her eyes, allowing herself to succumb to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note : Well... there it is. I promise, the next chapter will be better. Sorry to being gone for so long; I'll try to have a new chapter up within the next couple weeks. Until next time.**


End file.
